Atlantis, City of Saiyans
by SilverSnowflake9798
Summary: The myth of Atlatis, home of the Saiyans was known by few. And most of those few thought it was just a myth. But what if it wasn't? When Videl was recruited by Bulma Briefs to join her group of misfits in search for the lost land, they all get a lot more than they bargained for.
1. Saiyan Language

**Hi guys! This is my first DBZ story. DBZ/atlantis, but you'd probably already got that from the summary. I got this idea Gingeralchemist1996. Check out her story and art if you get the chance! I hope you guys like the story! Oh, you'll notice a few people are older or younger than they are in dragon ball z. it made it easier to match to the story.**

 **I know ships are really important to people so here are the ones I'm planning on using in the story just as a heads up.**

 **Main Ships: Vegeta+Bulma, Videl+Gohan.**

 **Others: Tien+Launch, Goku+Chi-chi, Krillian+18. Hints of Bulma and Yamcha, but not much.**

 **Possibly but very unlikely: Trunks+Pan?**

 **Anyway, hope you all like it!**

What normal human wouldn't be absolutely ecstatic about being at one of the largest, grandest balls that London England could offer?

Videl. Videl was that human.

It wasn't that she didn't think the whole thing wasn't special. That night was the 30th anniversary of the cities museum of history. Or, more specifically, history that her dad found interesting. Hercules, the 'great explorer,' was invited to the grand opening of yet another statue they'd made of his findings. The main hall was filled with various celebrities, aristocrats and other famous people to speak to him about one of the greatest archeological finds of the century. The first party she'd enjoyed going to.

That was years ago.

Over the past 6…or 7? Anyway, it hadn't taken long for Videl to grow to hate the celebrations. It seemed like every month she was pulled out of school to go with her dad to go to another museum or castle or…or…she couldn't remember anymore, there were too many! But everyone wanted to talk to her father. He was more famous than the president of the world. Sometimes Videl just didn't understand how her father had become so incredibly famous. All he did was find a few creatures old skins. He didn't even know what they were! During interviews he'd laugh his way through them and use his charisma and people skills to avoid answering questions he didn't know. She loved her father, but they both knew it was the truth. He was an amazing dad and person in general, but she just didn't understand why he was so famous. People would do anything for him.

The statue was new. "Great," She mumbled as she whisked the glass of pop around in her glass. "Another thing to boost my dad's ego." She gulped down the drink, wishing once again she was old enough to drink wine.

With a sigh, she tried to drown out the sound of music and laughter to focus on her book. It was old, very old compared to the gleaming pillars and advanced technology the building had been blessed with. Videl knew deep down that the book was older than the museum itself. It was bound in leather, not to mention some super glue from Videl desperately trying to keep it together. The front had the outline of what looked like a giant, muscular monkey with red eyes and a large moon behind it. It had taken her a while, but she'd found out what the symbol had meant. If only she could see it in person. If only she could be certain that all her hard work and dedication to the pieces that stemmed from the small, insignificant book weren't just fiction.

If only someone else had the same faith as she did.

A thundering laugh ruined any chance her father had at a sneak attack. "Videl, why are you just sitting here? Come on, they are playing my favourite song!" She turned in her chair to see her dad with a large smile on his face. He always dressed up in the old fashioned, Hollywood styled archeological dig suit when he went to those kinds of events. It made him look like he was going to go to Jurassic Park instead of and actual dig. Despite this, Videl couldn't help but give her father at least a small smile. Maybe she doubted him sometimes, but she'd never stop loving her kind and joyful father. Laughing, he put one hand on the back of her chair and gently pulled it away from the table, revealing the dark red dress she'd decided to wear that night. Her long dark hair was luckily tied in two low pigtails so they wouldn't get in the way as much. "Any of these guys would be lucky to dance with you my daughter! We'll find you a dance partner in no time, just this once!"

But Videl didn't move from her chair. "Thanks dad, but not today. I'm, um…not really in the dancing mood. Maybe next time dad."

Hercules frowned at his only daughter. "Don't be such a party pooper Videl. We're in London, let's enjoy ourselves!" Videl sighed. While her dad was loved by people, he was actually terrible at reading others.

After a bit more pestering his eyes caught on the book that was placed flat on the table, carefully separated from any food or drinks that could damage it. Even after a few drinks Hercule was able to recognize it immediately. "Wow, you brought that old thing?" He carelessly took the book from the table, making Videl's heart race with fear. "I'd have thought you would have left it with you at home."

"I bring it with me everywhere we go dad," She told him, eyeing the book carefully. He'd never damage it on purpose, but her dad was much clumsier than he would ever admit.

To her relief, he just shrugged and placed the book in her hands. "Sometimes I worry that my great crowning achievement went to your head too much. Just 18 and you're already trying to follow in my footsteps eh?" He laughed, but Videl just rolled her eyes. Both she and her dad knew that her mother had given her the book long before he'd become famous. Not too long before she'd passed. But her dad loved to bring every conversation back to his fame and fortune.

"I'm don't read this book just to find something to make me famous like you dad," She argued while clutching the book to her chest protectively. "I read it because I want to find what it's talking about."

Hercule knew this of course. Ever since his past wife had given her the book, Videl had been obsessed with it. "Videl, you've got to let this go."

"Come on dad, hear me out," she argued for what must have been the hundredth time. It seemed like they were having the same argument more and more the older she got. He'd hoped after time it would become just a childhood fantasy, but time seemed to strengthen her desire. Flipping the book open to a memorized page she showed him an illustration of what looked like a large cave. "This is what they called the cave of the stars. It's said to be the only entrance to the land called-"

"Atlantis, home of city Vegeta, I know," Hercules sighed. He tried to be optimistic for his daughter, he really did. But there were sometimes he thought tearing her down would help her more in the long run. "But that books just a story, a fairy tale your mother gave you when you were little for fun! Just like dancing, huh? Let's go have some fun dancing!"

Videl didn't even flinch at his suggestion. "No dad, I think it's real. See here?" She pointed to a line underneath the illustration. It looked just like gibberish to him, but Videl was able to translate. "Here are the rough coordinates to where the cave is supposed to be. It's a longshot, but I think that it's saying that there is an entrance close to Iceland,"

"Ha! Iceland? My daughter, people have been searching that land for years ever since rumors of a great dragon appeared there years ago! If there was anything down there, they would have found it by now."

Unlike him, his daughter was very stubborn. "Doesn't the fact that there have been unexplained occurrences down there just enforce my idea?"

"Dear, I don't want you to get your hopes up. Whatever that dragon was was just a trick probably some kids were playing." Videl could have argued that kids shouldn't have been able to make the sky turn dark all around the world, but knew her dad would have argued, 'it was just a trick.'

Shaking her head she continued, "The land itself won't believe just because of the sheer amount of nonbelievers. Didn't you have doubters when you were looking for your great find?"

If Videl had been paying closer attention, she would have noticed her dad's face turning a little pale. "A-ah…before? I really don't remember much about before it…"

"You've got to remember some of it," she pushed. "You are the one famous for finding the remains of an unknown creature! What did you have to do to find it?

"I uh," Hercule hesitated. "You know, what's really important is that I found it. That's the whole reason we're here, you know? Because I found the thing, not what happened after it, ha-ha!" Annoyed, Videl pulled her chair back to the table. She didn't understand. Her dad had found it, hadn't he? Why did he act like he didn't know the first thing about exploring and adventure? Videl shrugged, deciding not to doubt her dad and went back to her book. She flipped to another page, mostly filled with the foreign language she knew her father couldn't read. It had taken her nearly four years to become fluent in the language no one else understood. Not only was it her greatest passion, but it was her simplest escape.

When her dad saw her retreating into the book he sighed. "Oh don't be like that dear. You should have some fun, enjoy the party! Most kid's your age would love to be here!" Videl didn't mention that most kids her age were probably doing projects or trying to survive social media.

"Most kids my age wouldn't have translated a lost language and dream about going to find it. Just look at this dad!" She held up the book to show a page mostly filled with words, but in the centre was the illustration of what looked like two fighters with extremely spikey hair. "Their culture is one that is centred on fighting. Even their biology is fixed to make fighting easier. I-I haven't figured out exactly what those changes are, but I'm sure that they are legendary warriors!"

For a moment, if just to humour his daughter for a moment, he asked. "Their bodies are different? Like, different races of human?"

"No, I think it's completely different. I think that they aren't human."

"Videl, really."

"Dad, would you just,"

"Mr. Hercule!" Both of them turned to the president of the world along with his various bodyguards. Videl felt that she should be impressed, but she'd already met the man from time to time. King Furry had a slightly lopsided smile on his face as he approached them, one paw outstretched. "Mr. Hercule, my deepest apologies! You should have been the first one I came to great! It's been so busy here tonight I was wondering when I would get the chance to come and see you."

Instantly a great big smile stretched across Hercule's face. "Oh don't think of it King Furry! It's great to see you again!" Ignoring the hand he swept the president into a hug. The guards at his sides started, but King Furry waved that it was alright. Videl turned away, happy for a distraction so she could get back to her book. Without meaning to she overheard their conversation. "Thanks again for inviting us here King Furry! We are honoured to be here."

The laugh King Furry let out sounded suspiciously like a dogs howl. "If I hadn't invited you, someone else would have. What kind of party would this have been without the famous Hercule? The man who discovered the carcass of the creature you named cell. Your finding was one of the first pieces of evidence of intelligent reptilian lifeforms! It would be nice to have some intelligent reptiles instead of just mammals and humans around," King Furry sighed, shaking his head. "I'm honoured you were able to come so far for the celebration."

Her father laughed, though it sounded like he really didn't comprehend what the king had just said. Their world was full of four types of humans. Undisturbed humans, Humans with psychic abilities, mammal humans that were part human, part animal, and cyborg humans. When her father had gone on a trip to the Sahara desert, he'd found the body of what had looked like a human with reptile parts. The first of its kind and the sign of another type of human. Her father had been hailed like a hero ever since. Funny thing was, Videl didn't know her dad was that much of an archeologist. She hadn't even been aware that her dad was going on a business trip. Once she'd asked if it was just an accident but he denied it, saying he was looking for it the whole time.

Yet she'd never even heard about it before he found it.

"Miss Videl, it's good to see you again." Unwillingly she smiled up at the king. Standing she took his hand and shook it politely. "You've certainly grown into quite the beautiful young women. Do you mind if I ask how old you are right now?"

"18, Mr. President."

"An adult! Congratulations!" The older man nodded politely. "It seems just yesterday you were running around pretending you were in a faraway land…what was it called." Videl blushed while she tried to hide the book from the president. Her father wasn't the only one who thought her dreams were just that. Dreams. "Well, that was long ago. I'm sure the boys are calling you all the time now!"

Hercule laughed at that. "Ha-ha! My daughters not dating anyone unless he can beat my greatest find!"

"Then I suppose she will be single for the rest of her life! What a tragedy to young men everywhere!" Both of them laughed while Videl rolled her eyes. Before her dad had become famous, the saying had been, 'no dating anyone who is younger than your father,' because he knew she'd never date anyone older. Whatever was the best excuse, he would use. When she'd been little she'd been foolish enough to agree to his demands, since she hadn't cared at the time about dating. Not that she cared too much when she was older.

She had the feeling that she wouldn't be dating anyone with the new standards either.

"Oh, I'd love to introduce you to someone." King Furry waved to a small group of three that walked over politely. "Mr. Hercule, this is the Briefs family, head of the capsule corp. Unfortunately their eldest daughter was not able to come, but we certainly are blessed to have Miss Bulma here." Both Videl and her father's eyes widened. The capsule corporation? That company was just as famous as her father, possibly more!

Carefully Videl sized up the members without trying to show that she was sizing them up. The elder man was fairly short, shorter than her. He wore a suit, but despite the formal occasion, had a white lab coat overtop of it. His hair was purple and styled in a bowl cut so it wouldn't get in the way of his glasses. Videl noted the cat on his shoulder staring at all the strangers around it. Pets weren't supposed to be brought in. The elder women had curly blond hair, styled so it all stayed on the top of her head. She wore a fancy red dress and a pleasant smile on her face. There were pearls around her neck and for earrings, subtly showing off their wealth. The family was known to be wealthy, but she'd never heard of them being the kind to flaunt their wealth unless they needed to.

The one who really caught her eye was Bulma, the youngest daughter. Older than Videl though. Probably in her mid to late twenties. Her hair was a close match between light blue and turquoise. It was done up in a bun for the night, but she bet it was actually fairly long. She wore a simple black dress for the occasion and a pair of black heels. The only piece of jewelry she wore was a white necklace with jewels embedded in the front. While Videl had heard about her father a lot, she was more interested in the genius daughter who'd apparently built just as many earthshattering devices as her dad. Apparently she was a genius who could build just about anything the world could offer.

She was so caught up in her analysis that she missed their introduction. When she finally came back to reality Bulma had her hand out and Videl quickly took it. "N-Nice to meet you Miss Bulma." Videl felt her cheeks burn, wondering just how much she'd missed.

Bulma on the other hand just smiled casually as if they were just two friends catching up. "You as well. Sorry, I really don't know that much about you."

"That's fine," Videl shrugged. "My dad's the famous one here."

"Ah yes!" Mr. Briefs interrupted, shaking hands with Videl's father. "It certainly is an honour to meet you. Your find has certainly changed quite a few things on our understanding of the different species of humanity."

Her dad laughed cheerfully. "I'd say so! It certainly was hard to find, but boy was it worth it." Videl sighed, preparing herself for another story about his great adventures. A story that always seemed to change.

Luckily it didn't come. "What kinds of analysis have you done?"

Hercule frowned. "Uh, Pardon Miss Briefs?"

"What kinds of analysis have you done to the body? The biological tests that I heard of suggested that the body had only been around for a few weeks despite the fact that it was about the size of a full grown male. Have the scientist analyzing it checked for some kind of rapid growth advancement? Also, what kind of environment would it have had to have lived in to sustain itself with its different kind of biological factors? If there are more, would they be able to function in our society, or would special inclusion negotiations have to be made?"

Hercules just stared at her. The others thought it was surprise that someone had been able to think about all that. In reality, Hercule hadn't understood anything that she had asked. Saving him from having to improvise some kind of answer, Mr. Briefs laughed and patted his daughter on the back. "My dear, this is a party! I'm sure Mr. Hercules wouldn't want to discuss these kinds of things during his time off."

Bulma frowned, but didn't look annoyed. "Of course, I apologize. I've just been very interested in the scientific side of your discovery. There haven't been any articles about it! Any chance I could get a look at it any time soon? Actually, me analysing it wouldn't damage the flesh, would it?" Hercules wasn't sure what she meant, but was pretty sure he was supposed to know.

"Er…No?"

"Great!" Bulma exclaimed. "Is there any chance I could borrow it from you then? Just for a day or two, I promise."

Again, Hercule looked at a loss for words. "I…um…Videl?" Videl nearly laughed out loud. Not many people were able to render the boisterous, outlandish Hercules to silence. Just another reason for Videl to admire the older women.

Turning the conversation away, Mrs. Briefs noted, "Oh, that's a lovely looking book you're carrying there." All of them eyed the leather bound book in Videls grasp.

Her cheeks turned pink as she tried to hide it behind her dress. "Uh, yeah. It's just, um…"

It didn't take long for her father to get his energy back. "Ha! That old books just proof that she's trying to follow in her old man's footsteps!" Not noticing his daughter expression, he snatched the book out of her hands.

"Dad!" She exclaimed, trying to get it back. Her father didn't notice in time, showing the book off to the group.

"She's been chasing after this legend for as long as I can remember. Old book tells her about some far off land called 'Atlantis' or something. She's even convinced that there's a completely different species there! What did you say sweetie? They aren't human?" It didn't take a genius to see that her cheeks had been burning since the minute he'd taken the book. King Furry and some of his guards were either giving her strange looks or that same look she'd gotten on all the trips she went on with her dad. _Oh that's so cute. What a sweet little girl._

Sometimes her dad was the best dad in the whole world. Other times it was like he couldn't see anything beyond his own fame and stories.

"Well not everyone can hope to make the great finding achievement that you did Hercules," The president stated with what was meant to be a kind smile. "Some of us can only dream."

"That's right! Dream big or go home, that's what I always say!" Glancing back at the book though he frowned again. "Still, some dreams are just impossible. No point in hoping for something that doesn't exist." Videl wanted to father couldn't even tell that he was embarrassing his only daughter in front of the owner of the capsule corporation and the president of the world! Could things get any worse?

"A different species hm?"

All of them turned to face Mr. Briefs again. He didn't look like he was humouring her. And he didn't look like he thought she was weird either. Instead he looked genuinely interested. He was eyeing the book a little too hungrily for Videl's tastes. "I must say, that sounds interesting."

Hercule shook his head as he chuckled. "No no, it's nothing that special. It's just some book her mother gave to her when she was younger. Might as well have been written by the grim brothers. Filled with nothing but tricks and-"

"Can I see it?" Bulma asked as if Hercule hadn't said a word. For a moment both he and Videl were dumbfounded. No one had ever taken the book seriously. Anyone who they told assumed it was just another story or Videl's attempt at trying to be as famous as her dad. Not that any of that was true. She found her father's fame annoying and a distraction to what she really wanted to do.

Snapping out of her shock, a wave of excitement followed it. "Of course!" She exclaimed. Taking the book from her father she handed it to Bulma eagerly. "P-please be careful with it. It's very old." Bulma just nodded as she began to flip through it. Her eyes were contorted in concentration, blocking everything else out as she focused on the book. Videl had been the only one in the past who'd looked to the book with that much excitement. Her father frowned, unsure if he was okay with them encouraging his daughter's obsession. He truly didn't want his daughter to go running after what he believed to be a wild goose chase with no end. She'd be crushed, and he didn't want that. How was he supposed to explain that to a pair of strangers that he'd just met though?

Mr. Brief's turned to Hercule as his daughter focused on the book. "If you don't mind, may I ask where her mother got that book?" Hercule rushed to answer, trying desperately to look impressive in front of them.

"N-Nowhere special. I found it one time when I was traveling in Japan a while back after there had been those rumors of meteors crashing around there. She passed it on to Videl when she was older."

The inventor pursed his lips curiously. "After the meteor shows you say?"

"It's a very interesting book," Bulma said, but with a bit of a sigh. She gave her father the kind of look someone would give after hitting a roadblock that they'd hit again and again. "Yeah. Too bad it's all in a different language." Videl felt her spirits drop when she handed the book back to her, only half as much excitement as she'd had when she took it. "That certainly looks like it would have a lot of good information I'd like to study, but some things just can't be done. I can't even read the first line." Hercule tried not to show his relief. If the genius inventor Bulma thought it was a lost cause, maybe that would finally convince his daughter.

His luck had already been used up. "It doesn't say anything special," She told them sadly. "It's just the start, saying that they are warriors feared throughout the galaxy."

To Videl's dismay, King Furry laughed. "All over the galaxy? Sounds like some kind of sci-fi novel if you ask me!" He and her father laughed together while Videl tried to mask her emotions. Just when she'd started to feel like others didn't see her ideas as foolish her hopes were dashed. With a sigh she started forward to take the book back.

Only then did she notice Bulma and Mr. Briefs staring at her with unveiled surprise. "You can read Saiyan?" Mr. Brief's exclaimed.

Videl blinked, surprised again. "Y-yes, I can. I translated it a while ago. It took me a while since the alphabet isn't even the same,"

"But you can read it," Bulma repeated.

Sheepishly, she nodded. "Yes."

Bulma and her father turned to each other, seeming to have their own private conversation with their eyes. None of the others could tell what they were thinking. They couldn't even begin to guess. But Videl noticed the look in their eyes that was an emotion she could easily interpret.

Excitement.

Finally.

Achieving something they thought was impossible.

"Um," Hercules glanced at the group, starting to get worried. "Well it certainly was nice to meet you, but Videl and I should get going." He put one hand on her shoulder to emphasize the point. "It's starting to get late, and we have quite a ways to go to get back home." The briefs shut down their conversation to stare at their new friends once again.

"Yes, of course," Mr. Brief's said without much argument. "It certainly was an honour to meet you."

Bulma took Videl's hand again as she gave the book back. "I hope to meet you again Miss Brief's," She told her politely.

The older women smiled. "Oh don't worry dear. I'm sure we will." Gesturing to the book she said, "You hold onto that, okay? I'm sure it will be useful." Videl nodded eagerly as her dad gently pushed her away. Videl kept her eyes on them until they were completely out of sight. And them on her.

They hadn't laughed.

She couldn't tell what they had been thinking.

But they hadn't laughed.

"That was interesting," Hercules laughed as they headed out. "Who knew there were people as obsessed with stories out there as you are?" Videl decided to pretend she hadn't heard that. When his comment was met with silence he tried to start the conversation with a different topic. "Honestly, sometimes I just don't understand people like that," Hercules huffed as he led his daughter through the crowd. "Why were they so impressed by you translating some rubbish kind of Sahara talk?"

For the umpteenth time, Videl rolled her eyes. "It's called Sayian talk dad. And it's not rubbish. If you paid attention you'd have gotten the name right-"

She stopped.

Videl realized she hadn't mentioned that the language was spoken by Saiyans.


	2. Proposition

Proposition

"How are you supposed to find anything in this mess of a room?"

Well. The next time Videl's friends wanted to come over, she'd clean up first.

To be honest, she couldn't blame them. It wasn't that her room was messy. It was actually pretty neat. Her bed in the corner was made, clothes in the closet and shelf, books in their places and floor clean. It was her large desk and wall that was the problem. She'd covered it with drawings, translations and notes about the language and culture from the book. Her desk was filled with notebooks and articles that had related elements to things she'd seen in her book. At the corner she'd even designated a special spot for her book, inside a box that was covered in felt and had crafting materials to keep the book in good shape.

Okay. Maybe she was a bit obsessed.

But she had good reason to.

Erasa didn't agree, poking at the drawing of a small white sphere on the wall. "What is this supposed to be?" Videl glanced up from her textbook.

"I think that's something they use to travel in." Erasa made a face.

"How are they supposed to travel in those things? Do they roll around?"

"I'm not too sure," She shrugged as she scanned over important dates of world war one. "It's either for transportation or something like a treasure chest." She decided not to mention that her first guess had been that it was used for cooking food. Like a giant salad spinner.

Her friend glanced away from that picture carelessly to look at another. "How about this one?" That one had a diagram of the sideways view of a man, arms outstretched in front of him and nothing but a pair of blue pants Videl had drawn on when she got embarrassed. He had a large chest and lines pointing towards his hair and arms "He's a cutie."

"His name is Broly," Videl grunted. "I mean…I think."

Again, Erasa frowned. "That sounds like a weird name."

"They aren't human Erasa. Why would they have human names?"

Erasa rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I didn't come here to talk about some imaginary race silly."

She'd known this, but her mentioning it made her roll her eyes. "Well what did you come here to talk about?"

"Prom silly! It's only two months away!" Videl blinked, coming up with a blank. When she saw her friends expression her own soured. "You are going aren't you?"

"Yeah. Yeah, sure." She mumbled carelessly. In truth she didn't care for it. But her dad had insisted she should go, if nothing else but because she could make sure her friends didn't get in trouble. 'You only get to go to prom once Videl. Do you really want to miss it?'

Yes. No. Kind of.

She just didn't care. She cared a lot about her grades and friends, but high school life itself was boring to her. Everything just seemed the same. Same bullies, same social conventions, same food…it was all dull. At least when she went to college she'd be able to study something she really enjoyed. Too bad they didn't have too many studies for unknown, ancient cultures. Instead she was studying some languages, literature and martial arts. That was fun to. She was passionate about that. But not as much as…well, you could probably guess by now.

"I'm going to wear a pink dress with a sweetheart neckline," Erasa had gone on. "So you have to wear a different colour. How about blue? It would go good with your eyes." Those eyes were rolling once again as she lay on her back to stare through the skylight above her. It wasn't night yet, but she bet it was going to be a full moon. Her dad had used to tell her that strange things always happened on a full moon. Her book had only confirmed her theories. "How about that dress that you wore to the ball in London about a month ago? That one looked nice. Videl, are you even listening?"

She shot up from the bed. "What? Of course I'm listening."

Erasa shook her head, unconvinced. "Yeah, right. Your head is too busy mulling over that Antarctica place or whatever."

"Atlantis."

"Right. The one with the vegetable city…"

"Vegeta city."

"And all the people who are just saying…"

"Saiyans!" She had to be doing that on purpose.

"Sure. But come on Videl, who cares? It's probably not there anyway. And even if it was, you'd never be able to find it." Videl glowered, but didn't comment.

She knew she was right. Her father had gone on to mention it many times, and it always shut Videl up because deep down she knew she had no way to argue. Say she was right, and Atlantis was real. She'd never find it. Even with her book showing her the rough area of where it was, that was still thousands of miles of land. She didn't have the equipment or the manpower. Manpower! How could she convince anyone to take her seriously enough to help her? It was impossible for her to search for an entire land on her own. She'd be searching forever. Not to mention the equipment it would take to do it. If it was underground, she'd need drills. If it was on land, she'd need the proper vehicles for that area. If there was some kind of supernatural beam of light that could just, uh, beam her up there she'd have to find a way to find it. Whoever had written the book hadn't been very detailed with their findings. If only her mother had bothered to add in that one little detail; who wrote the book.

"I'll figure it out," Videl muttered under her breath. "I have to."

"Whatever you say," Erasa yawned, reminding Videl she was there. "Good luck with…that. But hey, for now, instead of talking about a species of imaginary men, let's talk about real men. Like Jordan Irwin! He's so going to ask me to prom. I mean, eventually. Once he's gotten his courage up. That's what all the girls told me!" Erasa rattled on while Videl went back to her studying. At least with the textbook she'd learn something that she actually thought was interesting.

Before Erasa could worry over her date not wearing the proper colour or whether he would bring a corsage or not, the phone rang. _Thank goodness._ Videl jumped up to grab it before her father downstairs could. "Hello, this is Hercule residence. How may I help you?" She knew the phone call would probably be for her dad, but even a temporary distraction was a good distraction.

"Ah, Videl? Just the person I've been looking for."

Or not so temporary.

"Yes, it's Videl. Who is this?" Erasa glanced up at her, eyes full of curiosity. Videl just shrugged back at her while she waited.

"Miss Videl, this is Mr. Briefs." Videl thought she was going to choke on her own breath. Mr. Briefs? Why was he calling her? She hadn't forgotten the night she'd met the Briefs at the party a while back. Her father had done all he could to make her forget, but she couldn't forget the only people who'd shown any kind of positive reinforcement to her idea. "I've been trying to reach you for a while now."

"R-really?" Videl forced out. Erasa mouthed at her, 'who is it?' Videl waved her away, trying to concentrate on her conversation.

"Yes. Did your dad not tell you? He said he would tell you right away."

That made Videl frown. "My dad? No, he didn't mention anything to me." She hadn't known that her father had kept in touch with them after that night. In fact, whenever the conversation came up, he'd tried to avoid it. Pretend that they had never met and speak of them as if they were strangers.

"Hm. Oh well, no matter. Are you busy at the moment?" Videl answered that she wasn't, ignoring Erasa once again. "That's good. Bulma will be over there shortly to explain things."

What?

Bulma was coming to her house?

"Why is she coming here? Explain what things?" Before Mr. Briefs could reply, she heard the sound of the intercom for outside. She and Erasa stared at each other in surprise. "I…I think she's downstairs."

"Ah, excellent. Well, I hope you two have a nice talk. I'll speak to you again in the future I hope." Before she could stop him, he'd already hung up. Videl stared at the phone in her hand. She stared at Erasa sitting at her chair. Then to the window where the sound had come from.

The intercom went off again.

In an instant she jumped to attention. "C-coming!" Slamming the phone down, she rushed out of her room, leaving a confused Erasa behind her. Sprinting through the halls, she could overhear the sound of her dad answering the intercom. _Hello? This is Hercule._

 _Hi Mr. Hercule, I'm Bulma! We talked on the phone a few days ago!_

As she slipped down the stairs, she was able to hear her dad talking instead of just the echoes. "What? What are you doing here? I thought I told you not to contact us again!" What? So her dad really had gotten those calls. But he'd hid them from her? And wanted them to stay away? Her dad was not a secretive person, he told his daughter just about everything. Sometimes she thought he told her more than she needed to know. That was the first time she'd even suspected her father of hiding something. Why he would want her not to meet the famous inventor Bulma Briefs was a mystery to her. And she couldn't believe he'd actually ban them from contacting. He loved people, all kinds of people!

With a quick leap Videl hurried to the main room before her dad could send her away. "Dad!" Hercule snapped up to stare at his daughter in shock.

"Videl! Where-How much did you-" Before he could continue she spilled past him to push the intercom button.

"Miss Bulma, its Videl! Just wait a minute, I'll open the gates now." With a few buttons they both could hear the sound of the gate opening.

In a matter of time Bulma would be inside. "Videl!" her dad exclaimed, turning on his daughter. "What did you do that for?" Videl glared at her father, feeling suspicious of him for the first time in her life.

"Mr. Briefs was the one that called," She explained. "Apparently he's called a few times."

Hercule's eyes widened, caught doing something wrong. "I…Well Videl I…"

"Hi!" Both of them turned to see Bulma slipping off a green coat. "Thanks for inviting me in. Do you mind if I hang this here?" With a polite nod she hung her coat on the wall next to her shoes. Videl didn't know why she would have a coat. It was pretty hot that time of year. For an heiress, her clothes weren't as fancy as she'd expected. She wore a pair of jeans and an old t-shirt. There was a large belt on her waist that had some tools and small machines inside. There was a small smudge of dirt on her cheek that she instantly wiped away the minute she saw it. Her blue hair was let loose, carelessly hanging below her shoulders with a slight wave. It looked like she'd just come back from building something. With a confident smile she reached her hand out towards Videl. "Hi again! It's good to see you."

Still slightly confused, Videl shook her hand. "H-Hi Miss Bulma. You too but…what are you doing here?' Bulma frowned, looking more annoyed than confused.

"What? We've been calling you for the last two weeks. Didn't you get our messages?" Two weeks? She turned to her dad who suspiciously wouldn't meet her gaze. "Honestly, I would have come down here sooner. It took us forever to find where you lived, and even longer to find a way to get here. I mean, traveling was easy, but work's been brutal lately." Stepping past them she walked to the sitting room like she owned the place. Videl hurried to follow her, Hercule following slowly behind. Her eyes took in the whole room, the two large couches on either side, a sliding door for the backyard at the wall, a comfy chair, coffee table and fuzzy TV. Said TV was unclear, and the sound was shot. "This is a nice place," She noted honestly. "Looks like a great place to live in."

"T-Thanks," Videl said politely. "B-but why are you here again?"

She didn't answer right away. Instead her attention had been caught by the TV. "Is that broken?" Without waiting for an answer she stepped over to it, turning so she could see the back. "Sorry, I'll explain in a second. This is really going to bug me if I have to do the meeting with a broken TV in the room."

"Meeting?" Videl asked while Bulma took the back off of the TV. Reaching into her belt pocket she pulled out a screwdriver and a tool built for separating wires. Bulma got to work instantly, playing at the wires and checking the headboard curiously. As she worked she didn't hear Erasa come down from Videl's room, curious about all the commotion. When she saw Bulma she gasped, recognizing her instantly. Turning to Videl she mouthed, _Oh. My. Gosh._ Videl could only nod in agreement.

"All done." With a few clicks the TV switched on. A clear, perfect image of a boxing match appeared on the screen, just as the champion knocked their opponent off their feet. _K.O.!_ Bulma straightened, wiping her hands off her pants. "Alright, that should do it. Be sure to not play around with those wires anytime soon. That should keep it working properly for a while, though it is a pretty old model. Anyway, can we talk now?" All three of them just stared at her in shock. Erasa stared at Miss Bulma like _'_ _Oh my gosh, I can't believe this is happening right now!'_ Hercule stared at her like, ' _Oh my gosh, this cannot be happening right now!'_ Videl stared at her like, _'_ _Oh my gosh, what is happening right now?'_ Bulma just blinked at all of them. "What?"

Blinking, she tried to pull herself out of her daze. "R-right…What meeting are you…"

"Oh my gosh, you're Bulma!" Videl's mouth snapped shut when Erasa pushed her way to the front. The shock had worn away and what was left was unadulterated joy and excitement. "I-I've read every magazine you've been in, I've heard so much about you!" It didn't take a genius to guess that she wasn't talking about her engineering articles or work in the capsule corp. Most teenage girls focused on the heiress factor more than that part. "You're dating that really hot baseball player, right? Yamcha?"

Though it wasn't what she'd come for, her smile got bigger when fans came around. "Of course! We've been dating for, oh, a few years or so."

"Is it true he's really unfaithful and forgets important dates?"

Her expression fell. "Nobody's perfect."

"Miss Bulma," Videl interrupted, pushing her friend to the side. "What did you come here for?"

For a moment she still glared angrily at the accusation, but slowly she was able to calm down. "Right. I already talked to your dad, but I thought it would be best if I talked to you in person."

"No!" The girls all turned to face her father who'd quickly regained his voice. "No, Videl won't talk to you! S-she doesn't want to talk to you!"

Piercing blue eyes glued themselves onto Hercule's making his skin crawl compared to her confidence. "You always told me that she was too busy to talk. But now she doesn't want to talk to me, when she doesn't even know why I'm here?" Hercule didn't reply, eyes darting around to all the faces in the room. Bulma crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Your story isn't matching up Mr. Hercule."

"Dad?" Hercule turned to his daughter, her bright wide eyes that made her look so much like her mother. His heart melted, knowing he wouldn't be able to say no to her if she asked for anything. That had been why he hadn't risked telling her why Bulma had called. "What's going on? What did Bulma come here to tell me?"

Hercule hesitated, struggling for words. "It…It doesn't matter! Bulma's leaving and she's you are not going to listen, alright? This is my house, and if I say you aren't talking to people then-"

"Hey!" Both Videl and Hercule spun to face Bulma. She had her hands on her fists and her eyes were narrowed dangerously. "Look Mr., this is not your decision. I came here talk to Videl, not you. Videl is 18 years old, she wants to hear what I've got to say and by gosh, I didn't come all this way after being in my plane for three hours just to head straight home. It isn't up to you anymore!" All three of them stared at her in shock and some, begrudging amazement. Her father was a kind soul, but even then no one dared to talk back to him. Everyone thought he was a genius.

After regaining his cool, he glanced away from Bulma. Instead he glanced at a picture on the wall. An old one, where Videl was much younger. Back before her mother had passed. "I just…what you are asking…It's dangerous. I don't want her to be let down…To be in trouble." Immediately Bulma's expression softened, thinking back to her own father.

"I get that you care about your daughter Mr. Hercule. But she's eighteen. Legally, she's the one to make this decision. Trust your daughter enough to let her make her own decisions." Hercule sighed, turning so he could focus on the picture. Deep down he knew he wasn't strong enough to listen and not argue. But as a parent, he knew she was right. Videl watched her father in confusion before turning back to Bulma.

"What decision?"

Her hair slipped around her shoulder as she turned to her. The smile that that was on her face would have melted a frozen heart but at the same time send chills up the spine of the strongest warrior. "To go to Atlantis."

Videl couldn't decide which of those two things had just happened to her. "W-what?"

"Do you want to come to Atlantis? You figured out what Atlantis is from your book, haven't you?"

The younger women couldn't respond. She felt like she was dreaming. She couldn't remember the last time someone had even wanted to talk to her about Atlantis. There had never been a time anyone had ever really been interested in the idea. Only in her wildest dreams would anyone ever give her the offer to go to Atlantis. It was her dream. It was her greatest hope. She'd gone through plans, daydreaming about what she would have to do to find the place on her own. How she would convince others, gather a group and go searching. But even with her daydreams, she'd never been foolish enough to dream that someone would come and offer that to her.

But someone was.

Maybe she was dreaming.

When Videl didn't answer right away Bulma sighed, running one hand through her hair in exasperation. "Geeze. I thought you would have already been told what's going on. This makes things a bit more difficult."

"You believe…Atlantis exists?" The words sounded foreign, even to her.

With a laugh Bulma agreed. "Yeah! What, you thought you were the only one crazy enough to have the idea?" Yes, she had. At least, no one else had bothered to tell her if they believed her or not. Everyone else just called her insane. That there was no chance.

Was it a joke? Was it a trick? Some elaborate prank that rich people would pull on others in their spare time? How could they have learned about Atlantis anyway? "How…How do you know about it?"

"About Atlantis? From father of the one who wrote of that book of yours," She mentioned, waving her hand when she realized the book wasn't there. Videl didn't respond, suspicious to the core. Bulma sighed, then went on to explain. "I didn't recognize it right away, but after I flipped through a few of the pages I'd recognized them from our own notes. That book was written by a women named Chi-Chi. She was the daughter of a king that lived out west. According to her dad a strange man would visit her once a month, and she'd spend the next few days writing out and drawing what he'd told her. That went on for a few years, but then one day the man came to her and asked her to be his wife. She accepted immediately and with her father's permission, left with him to wherever he'd come from. The king was never able to find them again, because he'd never said where he was from. She'd taken the book with her, and her father had assumed he'd never see it again.'

'But now you have it." Bulma said, pursing her lips. "I have no idea how you got it though." Videl had held onto her every word with awestruck wonder. So awestruck, she couldn't answer. When she didn't respond, Bulma turned to Hercule. "Mr. Hercule? Do you have a clue?"

At first he didn't want to respond. But when he saw Videl turn to him, he knew he had no choice. "N-no…not really…my wife had said she found the book being sold in a little shop during our honeymoon. I never thought too much about it after that…"

While he didn't think it was that much of a big deal, Bulma took the question very seriously. "That's odd. She spent years dedicated to that book according to her father. He always said that she had told him it was extremely important. Maybe she lost it when she left with the man?" Bulma speculated to herself, momentarily forgetting her previous conversation. "Why would she lose something so important…" glancing up, she realized everyone was still looked at her expectantly. "Oh…Right. Sorry, my bad.'

'Anyway, that girl's father, or as we call him the OX king, kept some of the notes his daughter had written. We've got most of the information that's in that book of yours back at my lab. With those we were able to figure out the relative area to where this place could be. The only problem is was that the man had made her promise to write it in the Saiyan language so that no one else could read it. We can get to the area, sure, but there's a point where there are no pictures and a few key pieces that we need are written in that language. That's why we need you."

Videl popped out of her trance like a bunny would pop out of the rabbit hole. "You need me?"

Bulma nodded quickly. "Desperately. My father and I are in charge of the exploration, but it's funded and approved by the heads of a few different companies and even some countries governments." Her father nearly choked. Even the leaders of countries believed in the idea? Erasa couldn't believe that Videl's crazy obsession was going to let her meet cute army brats and talk to presidents. "They believe-If it does exist mind you," Bulma added with a wink. "That some of the technology and advancements hinted in it would be useful. I'm trying to get a team of people to go look for this place, which is pretty hard to do. Not even all the people funding it believe it's really there. I've got a few useful souls that are helping out…But we need a translator. From what I can tell, you seem to know the most."

"R-Really? Me?"

Again, she nodded. "My father and I have spent ages on those texts. Sure, I'm an absolute genius when it comes to beauty and inventions of any kind, but language? Literature? That's another kind of genius that I haven't got," She admitted with a bit of a sheepish blush. Videl guessed that she didn't admit her faults very often. "Everyone's got their strengths and weaknesses. Truth is, no one can really understand the language. My guess is that book of yours has a few pages Ox king doesn't. Either way, you're the only one who can read it. Not only that, but you've got the full book with the pages that we are missing.'

'If you want to…After you graduate and go through a bit of survival training of course," She added for good measure. "You can come with us to search for it."

To search for Atlantis?

To find Atlantis?

She could do that?

"I-I…"

"W-wait, just hold on a minute!" Hercule interrupted again, panic overwhelming him when he saw the excitement in his daughters eyes. "C-Can't she just teach the language to others? If she can learn it through that book, then all she needs to do is give you the book so someone else can learn it. That way she wouldn't have to go."

"Dad!" Videl exclaimed.

Her dad didn't look at her. Instead he focused on Bulma expectantly, braver than normal. Out of respect she paused to contemplate the idea. "Sure, it's not impossible. But she's the first one to be able to. It just wouldn't be right to go without her. Not to mention teaching someone an entire language would take a whole lot longer than we have." After a pause, she glanced at Videl. "You can speak it to, right?"

Grinning, she replied, "Hai, dekimasu. Yes I can."

 **(Authors note: This language is actually google translated Japanese. I couldn't find an actual saiyan language, and I thought it would be good to honour the country Dragon ball actually came from.)**

Bulma's eyes gleamed when she smiled. "That's great! It will be hard to convince the others to let you come, but I'm sure we wouldn't be able to do this without you! Besides, I find this place when I'm still young and perky!" She laughed as her hair flipped back. Erasa stared in awe while Videl just waited patiently. Videl wasn't the kind of person who cared about those things. She was too busy watching all her dreams in the world come together.

Hercule on the other hand felt like his world was being torn apart. "I-It's not that simple! You told me that this trip is going to be dangerous! That not everyone who went to those caves came back! You expect me to let my daughter go to a place like that?"

"How long will she be gone for," Erasa whined. "She's not going to miss prom, is she? It's after grad this year!"

"You don't even know where you are going!"

"It's a risk, I know," Bulma argued. "But if we find this place it could revolutionize how we see the world. Not only was there a different species living there in the past that we don't know anything about, but they had different technology and advancements that we don't have now. Even if they were only alive hundreds of years ago, we need to know how their society was able to remain undetected even to this day. Who knows what else could be down there."

"What's the point anymore? Anyone who was alive in this…this city must be dead by now!"

"Of course they are. There's no chance they could be alive after all this time. But still, as an archeologist, you of all people should know how important it is to know about the past to help the present!" Hercule shook his head stubbornly.

"Videl, please." Hercule put his hands on his daughters shoulder, desperate to make her listen to what he was saying. "You are the last family member I have since your mother passed. This…This is a fool's mission! Not even all the people funding it believe it's real. And those caves are dangerous. You're only 18. Please don't go."

She didn't know what to do. It was all happening so fast! Just yesterday her dream and been a crazy idea that everyone else thought was rubbish. Now, not only was one of earths proclaimed genius's was saying she believed her, but that there was an entire team of people who believed her and were going to search for it. To search for her dream.

A dream that she'd promised so would do whatever it took to achieve.

Gently, she put her hands on her fathers, looking into his eyes to tell him that she did understand. "Dad, I get it. I know this is a risk. I've always known, ever since I started dreaming about this."

"But you still don't understand! Dreams and reality-"

"Aren't the same," Videl finished for him. "But you also taught me that nothing is impossible. Dad, you found the skeleton of species that we didn't even know existed! Now it's my turn to chase my dream. Even if it means I don't make it…even if it's risking my life I have to try. I don't think I could live with myself if I didn't." She could see the obvious pain in her father's eyes. It hurt her to see him so upset. But deep down she knew that it wouldn't stop her. Reaching out, she put a hand on her dad's cheek with a weak smile. "Come on dad. Trust me. You know I'll come back. I'm the daughter of the famous Hercule." He still didn't look convinced. His eyes traced over hers, looking for some form of doubt. But there was none. His daughter was determined, and she wasn't going to move.

Slowly, regretfully, he nodded.

With a smile she turned to Bulma, puffing her chest up with confidence that seemed to appear out of nowhere. "I'll go."

The gleam of Bulma's smile made her look just as dangerous as she was friendly. "Perfect. I'll tell my father right away. We'll be sure to train you a bit so that you'll be prepared for what's to come. Survival training, martial arts, and some first aid. But first things first," she added, giving Videl a once over. "We're going to need to do something about that hair of yours."

"Huh?"


	3. The Z Explorers

The Z Explorers

Unfortunately with all the politics and governments involved with the mission, Videl had to wait until after she had finished her exams and graduated before she could go. The minute she'd gotten her diploma she'd rushed her dad to her plane so he could bring her to the briefs house. She'd tried to avoid looking at him when tears had rushed down his cheeks. He kept saying he wasn't ready to say goodbye to his little girl, that she'd never come back, that it was all a lost cause. Everyone thought it was a lost cause. Even some of the people going thought they weren't going to find anything.

But Videl did.

She was absolutely sure of it.

The dock that her father brought her to was nowhere near their actual destination. But her dad didn't have the same clearance that she did, so he could only take her so far. The location they went to was a boat actually. Out on the middle of the ocean. One of those army boats with landing pads and everything. It was still quite a ways from their real location, but the quickest way to get their without gaining public attention as by using a military boat. They'd assume it was some kind of science expedition, which in a way it was.

Just a bit more important than studying the types of foods that could grow in the snow.

As her father landed the jet, Bulma stood at the ground with three other people. One Videl recognized as Mr. Briefs, wearing a casual lab coat and some casual office clothes underneath. The other were dressed formally compared to him. A women and a man. After a few months of training she'd gotten used to different officials coming to meet her. None of them actually wanted to come on the journey.

After they got out of the plane Bulma was the first one to greet them. She wore a pair of cargo pants and a brown jacket over her blue tank top. Warm clothes easy to move in. Since they had no idea what the weather was going to be like in the unknown country, she'd had to experience Bulma testing out a few different clothing styles over the past few months. Once she'd come to martial arts training in a full out spacesuit. "Hey Videl, perfect timing! The rest of the teams here already. We're just getting everything set up in the subs." Apparently she and her father had built special subs that were able to go much further below sublevel than the commonly used ones. And apparently were much comfier. Hopefully able to hold some drills and other vehicles to, though she doubted it. The ship they were on didn't look as big as Videl would have wanted.

Mr. Briefs came over and shook Hercules's hand. "It's good to see you again Mr. Hercules. I'm sorry to cut things short, but we are running a bit late on schedule and Videl needs to prepare."

Videl inwardly cringed when tears threatened to surface. "R-Right now? We need to say goodbye now?"

"Dad…" Videl groaned. "You knew this was going to happen." Before she could object, her father engulfed her in a hug.

"Y-You call me every day, okay? Or at least send me letters."

"I-I don't know if they'll have cell service down in Atlantis."

Videl struggled against her father's hold, trying to hide the red blush on her face while Dr. Briefs laughed. "Don't worry Mr. Hercules. You're not the only one who is saying goodbye to his daughter for a while. I'm sure they'll be sure to watch out for each other."

It took a moment for both of them to process the information. Videl turned to Bulma and said, "You're coming?" The exact same time Hercules turned to Mr. Briefs and said, "You aren't going?" Sure she'd been trying on clothes and talking about it, but she hadn't been 100% sure if the heiress to the capsule corp would even be allowed to go. The father daughter duo laughed at their reactions.

"Oh no, adventuring and risks like this are not something I should be doing in my age. But my daughter here," he patted Bulma on the shoulder, "Can't get enough of the risks."

She grinned maliciously. "I'm not just a pretty face you know. Without my brilliance there's no way you're going to find what we're looking for."

Videl was pretty sure she agreed with that, but knew Bulma was confident enough that she didn't need to be reminded. "To be honest I…I mean, you talked about coming a lot but I wasn't sure if you'd really come…I mean, you never really acted like a business women but doing something like this…" If the assumption had bothered Bulma, she didn't show it.

"I'm a women of many talents. I've wanted to go on an adventure like this ever since I was a kid."

"Really?"

"Sure. When I was younger than you I'd already traveled the world in search for the perfect boyfriend. Good thing I found him in the dessert," She added with a laugh. "You'll see when you meet him."

That shocked Videl as well. "You mean the baseball player Yamcha? Is he coming to?"

The older women gave her a wicked smile. "Don't worry. You'll meet the rest of the team on the sub. There's not many of us, which will make the trip just that much cozier." Videl thought there was no way to not be cozy in a small submarine.

Glancing over her shoulder she caught the eyes of the two that she didn't recognize. Neither of them smiled, and they both stood straight with their arms fastened to their sides. Her first guess would have been the army, but the clothes that they wore were way too fancy for any kind of soldiers. When they noticed her staring they walked over to them, again, too casual for soldiers. The soldiers Videl had run into while training had a kind of marching walk, even when they were just walking down the hallway.

Once they got over to them the women held out her hand to Hercules. "Good evening Mr. Hercules. My name is Sarah, and this is Michael." The man frowned while Videl tried to swallow the very foreign names. "For the time being I am the stand in for Mr. Bates of the Boringers foundation and Michael is standing in for Mrs. Irwin for the Waken Motorization Company. We will be the stand-ins for our bosses for the media and civilizations to see while they are busy researching this mission." The Boringers foundation was a family-run company, mostly specializing in medicines and environmental studies. The Waken Motorization Company was almost as big as the Capsule Corp, but focused more on improving previous inventions while Capsule Corp built new ones.

Her father shook their hands, but looked confused. "I knew that there were going to be other companies involved in this but…The heads of the companies are going to be involved? Is that really necessary?"

Michael stepped in before Sarah could explain. "Mrs. Irwin and Mr. Bates may not have…a large amount of faith in this project," he added slowly when he cast the Briefs a cautious glance. "But, by chance it does follow through, they would like to say that they were some of the first ones to discover it." Videl noticed Bulma clench her hands at her side. Both of them were thinking the same thing. This isn't something you can just gamble your money on for sport. Some of us may be risking our lives here.

"So we're going to have to deal with some people from a few businesses then," Videl whispered to Bulma while the two business officials talked to her father. Despite Videl being the one to go on the journey, they hadn't even bothered to introduce themselves to her.

Thankfully, Bulma shook her head. "They won't actually be coming, office junkies," Bulma snorted. "Different governments are helping fund the operation so they will get a say in what happens with any technology or information that is found, but that doesn't mean they're willing to really look for it themselves. Like I told you, not many people are willing to go on this expedition. We've only got our group of volunteers, a few soldiers and some members of the red ribbon army."

Videl hoped she had heard wrong. "The red ribbon army? I thought those guys were shut down!" Years ago a 'government' known as the red ribbon army had tried to talk over as many countries in the northern hemisphere as they could. In the end they had been stopped, but never truly torn down. Over time people had come to forget about them, thinking of them as a bad dream.

It was too good to be true though. "Yeah. Unfortunately they are still in control of at least three countries in the known world, maybe more. Because of that when their governments decided to help fund the project, the red ribbon army insisted on getting involved." She shook her head. "Seems like this project my father and I have been working on for years is just slipping out of our hands."

Videl couldn't agree more. She'd dreamed of finding Atlantis ever since she was a little girl, but the others were seeming to take it all as just another business gamble. One with low chances at that. Not only were the ones who didn't believe in it in charge of what happened when they left, but there would be people coming that she could guarantee she didn't want to work with. Bulma glanced over at the young girl and gave her a sad smile. "You know what? That really sucks, but the rest of this is going to be great! You've got me on your side, and with those odds, what could possibly go wrong?" Videl decided to take that as encouragement.

Even when she tried, caterpillars still crawled through her stomach.

….

* * *

After a tear felt goodbye to her father, Videl was brought underground to the submarine. From the inside she couldn't see how big it really was, but Bulma said she'd be able to once they all met before they launched off. For the time being, Bulma brought Videl to her room so she could unpack and get used to things a bit. "You'll be sharing this room with two-well, sort of three others girls," She explained. "If you need me, I have one of the three captain's quarters over by the head station. It has my name on it, so you can't miss it." Videl doubted that. After a few weeks, she still would get lost in that big place.

Sighing, she chose the only vacant bed to make her own. The smallest one next to the large metal wall. It wasn't as glamourous as she'd hoped, but she wasn't there for the glamour anyway. Once she hopped onto the bed and realized how stiff it really was, for the first time, she wished she was back at home.

Instantly she shook the feeling off. Maybe she should have been scared, or maybe even a little homesick. But there was so much excitement inside her. Fear? Nerves? Yes, those were there. But those drove her, reminded her that she was nervous about achieving the one dream she had thought was impossible only a few months ago. And she was finally going to make it.

After the small pep-talk, she decided to unpack. She'd only been permitted a small bag to bring with her, and it couldn't have any kind of chemicals or things that could rot. So that meant no food. Or ways to cook that non-existent food. She certainly hoped that Bulma had decided to invest in some good chefs. Instead she'd just brought a few changes of clothes, all for different seasons, some required health products, a few pictures and the book. Of course she was going to bring the book. Slowly her eyes traced the familiar bound papers that had gotten her started on her whole adventure. The one that had actually started with another women who had simply met a stranger. Who was that stranger? How did he know so much? It was a gamble for them to, Videl realized. Maybe not a business gamble, but a gamble. Not only were they trusting that the info hadn't been tampered with and that the women had written it down properly, but also that the man who had told her what he knew hadn't been lying and had given them the proper information. Why had he given the information away anyway? What good did it do him?

Maybe he'd wanted others to discover Atlantis just as much as she did.

As she slipped the book into its protective back-pack Bulma had made especially for her book, a voice chimed behind her. "If this guy in the picture is your dad, you've definitely gotten your looks from your mom."

Videl spun around to face a women with short blond hair. She was absolutely sure that she hadn't been there before. She wore a pair of green pants that looked like part of the army's uniform. There was a jacket that had been tossed onto a bed to encourage that idea, but the women wore a black and white striped tank top instead of the regulated grey ones. When she looked at her, her bright blue eyes were so vibrant and piercing, she almost guessed that they were glowing.

Then she realized that they were glowing. _Cyborg._

"W-who are you?" The girl raised an eyebrow, completely unfazed as Videl tried to compose herself.

"Didn't Bulma tell you? I'm your roommate."

Oh. She should have guessed that.

"H-Hi," Videl offered her hand to her, trying to be polite. "I'm Videl. What's your," Instead of answering, the women dropped the picture on the floor and went to her bed. Flopping back she crossed her arms behind her head and grabbed what looked like an army cap out from under her bed. Sliding it down her face she covered her features, dismissing her entirely. "…Name…"

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. _Thank goodness,_ Videl thought as she hurried through to get it. When she swung the door open the girl behind it blinked in surprise. "Oh, hello! I'm sorry, I must have gotten the wrong room." she glanced up at the sign on the door and saw the same number she had been looking for. "Oh, actually…I believe this is my room…" With a frown she turned back to Videl. "Who are you dear?"

Before Videl could answer the women laying on the bed grunted. "She's our new roommate Launch."

Once she heard the familiar voice the women's features brightened. "Ah 18, there you are!" Videl stepped back so the women could walk inside. She was taller than both her and the other girl, with longer hair that was just above her waist. It was dark, almost blue, with a bit of a wave to it. She had big, innocent eyes that were dark despite the kindness inside of them. She wore a red bandana in her hair, a pair of brown combat boots, yellow cargo pants and a light green tank top. Her jacket was folded in her arms as she carefully placed it at the foot of her bed. "I was worried I'd gone and gotten myself lost again. Once I'd gone to go and get lunch, then the next thing I knew I was in Mr. Roshi's room holding a gun to his head!" Videl wasn't sure she wanted to hear the explanation to that story.

The other girl-18 as Launch had called her-rolled her eyes carelessly. "Good for you. Anyway, that's our new roommate. Talk to her so I don't have to." Then she turned away, treating her with just as much friendliness as she had Videl.

The only difference was, the other women seemed used to it. "Oh, a new roommate!" She turned to Videl with a wide smile. "I see. Miss Bulma had said there was going to be three of us in here." Reaching out she took Videls hand and shook it quickly. "It's very nice to meet you. My name is Launch, and that's 18. She acts really scary, but she's very nice once you get to know her." The women grunted and turned further away from them. Somehow, Videl doubted that.

"H-hi," She greeted, struggling to keep up with her enthusiasm that didn't match the rest of the room. "My names Videl. I'm here as a translator."

The women tipped her head to the side. "A translator? I thought no one knew how to speak the saiyan language." As Videl opened her mouth to answer Launch's mind shifted to another topic. "Oh, I love your hair!" Videl thanked her sheepishly. Bulma had convinced her to cut it so that she would to better in her martial arts practices. She'd asked Bulma why she hadn't cut her hair and she'd said, 'because it makes me look fabulous.' "It's so cute," She said, holding her hands together as she admired it. "You look like a fairy!"

"Ah…Thanks…" Videl got the feeling that she was going to get to like Launch. At least, after she got used to her personality.

The door closed behind her as Launch stepped over to her bed, carefully stepping around 18 so she didn't bother her. Reaching under the third bed she pulled out a small folder from the top of an old suitcase. "If you just got here, I doubt you've been given any kind of tutorial or rulebook. They probably told you most of what you need to know in your training, but sometimes it's just easier to remember if it's written down, you know? I've got a photo-copy right here. If you want we can stick it to the wall so you can see it. 18 doesn't like it, but it's two against one now!"

"Not for long," 18 snickered. As Launch worked to pull the files out from under her bed, at first they wouldn't come out. With a yank they snapped out, but along with them came a large cloud of dust. Launch let out a soft yelp as she tried to protect her files, but couldn't stop the dust that covered her face. Instinctively she reached up to cover her nose, but before she did Videl saw her nose begin to twitch. 18 glanced at her over her shoulder. "Don't sneeze."

"I…" Lunch began, trying to hold it back. "I'm trying not to…"

"Uh here, do you need a tissue?" Videl raced around, looking for something she could use. But it was too late, and she heard the women sneeze while she was turned.

18 groaned and rolled on her bed. "Good grief."

"Hey! It's not my fault I need ta' sneeze sometimes! Don't you go blamin' me!"

For a moment Videl thought someone new had walked into the room. When she turned back though the same amount of people were in the room. One of them was just a little different. Launch was still there, still in the same spot she'd been before, still holding the files to her chest. But her hair that Videl was sure had been black before was now light blond, and her warm eyes had become a piercing shade of blue that sent chills up her spine. Videl wiped her eyes, wondering if she was imagining it. Maybe her hair had always been blonde, and it had been too dark to see? That didn't explain the eyes though…

Snarling, she wiped the dust and dirt off of her, leaving the forgotten files on the floor. 18 crinkled her nose at the mess, but wasn't bothered enough to go and do something about it. After getting to her feet she noticed Videl was still staring at her. "What're you staring at?" Videl snapped back, but couldn't stop herself from staring. It was definitely the same person. But her personality had definitely done a 180. Rolling her eyes she kicked the sheets around so make some room, the plopped down on the floor. "What's a kid doing in a place like this?"

"I-I already said," Videl responded automatically. "I'm a translator."

"Congratulations," She huffed. "What's a kid doing in a place like this?" That time she directed the question to 18.

18 slapped her forehead in exasperation. "UGH. I came back here to take a nap, and this is what I get?" After some more grumbling she told Videl, "Whenever Launch sneezes, her personality switches from nice to mean. You can figure out the rest yourself." Videl didn't know if it was a good idea to tell her what she had said was hardly any help at all.

"You have a…multiple personality disorder?" Videl had thought people who had those kinds of disorders didn't know that they had the disorder.

Launch just huffed, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Yeah, sure. Whatever floats your boat kid." Kid again? Without asking, she snatched up the picture that 18 had dropped earlier. "So you're Hercules's kid huh? You trying to follow in daddy's footsteps and find a set of dead bones for everyone to fall in love with?"

"No. I'm here to look for what I've dreamed of finding ever since I was a kid."

Both of them stared at her, faces blank.

"Atlantis. I want to find Atlantis."

Collective groans rolled through the room.

"Oh great," 18 groaned. "Another believer. First Krillian, now this."

Videl stared in surprise as Lunch leaned against the wall carelessly. After so many years of that reaction she wasn't that surprised or hurt. But she was a bit surprised. Considering that they were literally on a submarine so they could go search for Atlantis. Launch snorted, just as doubtful as 18. "Don't get your hopes up kid. Even if this place magically exists somehow, we aren't finding it. And that's if it really exists," she repeated for good measure.

"You don't think it exists," her heart sank as she turned from one to the other. "Neither of you?"

"Miss goody-two-shoes up here believes it," She said, knocking on her head. "Wants to find this great land filled with wonderful inventions and creatures that no one has ever seen of. She's a big dreamer. Too optimistic for my taste."

"But you don't…" Videl concluded, trying not to reveal her disappointment.

If the others saw it, they didn't comment. "Of course not!" Launch laughed. "I mean, seriously, who would believe that an entire race of people-no, sorry, 'saiyans,' creatures that are like humans but not the same as humans, existed in some land underground for hundreds of years? How could they have even lived there? Gosh, it sounds like some weird fairy-tale people made up to get their kids to fall asleep at night. None of it makes sense, and none of it's even possible!" Videl was careful to keep her mouth shut. No need to make it worse.

"So then…what are you here for?" 18 glanced up from her bed while Lunch paused. They glanced at each other, seemingly trying to make a decision. Then, without much debate, they agreed and turned back to Videl with an answer.

"The money," They both said at the same time.

"What?"

"Duh! Do you have any idea how much cash you're being paid to go on this 'life threatening' journey?" Launch asked with quotation marks. Videl shook her head. She hadn't cared too much about the money, so her dad had volunteered to manage it. She'd asked him to put all her money towards saving up for college. From the way 18 and Lunch were smirking, she got the feeling that she wouldn't have much saving left to do after the journey.

As she was about to ask the amount, there was a knock on the door. "More?" 18 tossed on her front, grabbed a spar pillow and covered her head. "I'm not a popular person and I like it that way. Why is everyone wanting to come into my room when I'm TRYING to nap?" Videl decided it would be redundant to mention that Bulma had said they were going to all meet soon before the ship would launch.

Since neither of them seemed willing to move, Videl hurried to get the door. When she opened it, she blinked. There was no one there. _Maybe it was just the engine,_ she reasoned as she went to close the door. "Hey!" Videl jumped back, only then noticing a foot in the door. _How did I miss them?_ "Don't just shut the door on me!"

Confused but guilty, she yanked the door open. When she did, she realized she hadn't seen the person because he stood maybe a foot shorter than her. The man was standing at the door, currently trying to ignore the pain in his semi-crushed foot. A grey army hat covered his cleanly shaved head that sported six dots on the front. Unlike the other two he was dressed more formally, with a grey soldier's jacket and black pants and boots. He was probably a solider…but she'd never seen one so…small…At school she'd been told that you needed specific physical traits to get into the army. Strength, no illnesses, no glasses…height hadn't been mentioned, but it was highly implied. She wondered what made him so special to get through that barrier.

"Humph," 18 grunted when she saw him. "Well it's a dork, but at least it's a dork I can live with."

The man turned away from his swollen foot to 18. "Hey babe," He greeted, walking past Videl to get to her bed. 18 rolled her eyes, but smirked when he kissed her on the cheek. Glancing back he gave a little less intimate greeting to Launch. "Hey Launch. Looks like you've sneezed since we've last seen each other." _Why is he not surprised? Is this normal?_ Launch just gave him a half wave, not interested. The man didn't seem bothered, and instead turned back to face Videl. He blinked. "Who's the kid?" He asked. Videl felt her cheeks puff out as she held her breath. She got the feeling 'kid' was going to get old real soon.

"Actually, I'm eighteen. And my name is Videl," she waved, given up on trying to shake anyone's hand. She was…overwhelmed. "You might know my father, Hercules."

The man's eyes widened. "So you're Hercules's daughter huh?" He glanced up and down, sizing her up. "Looks like you got your looks from your mom's side. Don't worry, that's a complement." Not the normal reaction she got from people, but she'd take it. To her surprise, he held out his hand to her first. "I'm Krillian, martial arts specialist. I'll be one of the soldiers in charge of the safety of the crew." He certainly didn't look threatening. She felt safe already. "I'd bet these two haven't told you what they're here for. Lunch is our explosives specialist and…chef, if you can believe it."

"I can," Videl nodded. "She sneezed earlier."

"Ah," Krillian nodded. "Makes sense. Anyway, my girlfriend here," He stuck his thumb over his shoulder at 18. "Is our communication specialist." Videl glanced up at her. 18 raised an eyebrow, challenging her to question.

She didn't.

"At least she learns quickly," 18 murmured turning away.

Krillian shook his head, but kept an optimistic smile on his face. "Sorry if these two have been giving you a hard time. Seriously though, what is a kid doing on the ship when we're about to leave? Is your dad one of the sponsors?" She hoped that wasn't him thinking she was only there because her dad paid a lot of money. The last thing she wanted was when she was finally on her own journey to continue to be thought of as only 'Hercules's only daughter.' It wasn't his time to shine anymore. It was her time. Her journey.

"No, my father didn't actually want me to come. I'm here as a translator." Krillian's eyes widened. For the first time, she felt like she'd actually done something right.

"The translator? Bulma was telling me about you. She kept saying that we couldn't leave until we found someone who could translate those…um…texts." He shook his head, flabbergasted. "Yeesh. Bulma and I are old friends, so I saw a few of those things when she first started working on them. They looked just like a bunch of scribbles to me." Krillian paused, as if something had just occurred to him. "Now that I think about it…she was about your age when she found those things."

That caught Videl off guard. "Really?"

Krillian laughed, reminiscing of old adventures. "Yeah. I met her because when she was sixteen she went searching for these things called 'dragon balls.'" Videl made a face, hoping he wasn't being literal. "Long story, but while traveling she found the ox king who gave her the papers. I wasn't there when she got the papers, but I helped her find the dragon balls on the request of my master. After she'd found them all things had…well, they turned out a little weird and we lost them, but she had no interest in taking the same journey she'd already gone through. Said it was boring since she'd already met the challenge. So instead, she took up the ox king's offer and started looking into Atlantis."

The older man glanced at the door, the way he'd come. As if he was trying to look back to wherever Bulma was at the moment. Probably getting the crew ready to launch. "She always thought that she could do anything when she was younger. Still does actually. Guess that's why she had no problem with bringing someone so young on board." Shrugging he slipped his hands into his pockets, pulling out of his memories and returning to the present. "I've known Bulma for a while, and while she's got some issues I'd say she needs to work out, there's not many times she's wrong."

Her heart lit up at that sentence. "So you believe that Atlantis exists then," Videl asked excitedly.

Sheepishly, Krillian rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, I'd say so. 18 and Yamcha both say I'm an idiot for it, but I used to think that the dragon balls were just a myth before we found them. There's a lot of crazy stuff in this world, and who am I to say it's not real?" Videl could feel the smile on her face get bigger. Okay, it didn't sound like he had complete faith in the Atlantis idea. But it was a start. At least she wasn't the only one other than the Briefs who believed it was real. And hopefully, not the only one who wasn't going just for the money.

It was like the world just wanted to throw everything at her at once. Just as she'd absorbed what she'd learned, an announcement went through the deck. "ATTENTION ALL CREW MEMBERS. REPORT TO THE MAIN DECK BEFORE OUR DEPARTURE."

"Sounds like we're leaving," Krillian said. 18 rolled her eyes at her boyfriend.

"What was your first clue?" Begrudgingly she pushed her feet off the bed so she could stand. Not bothering to say another word to anyone, she walked past them and headed out the door. Krillian didn't seem bothered and followed his girlfriend without argument. With a loud yawn Launch stretched out her arms before following suit. Leaving a confused Videl behind.

One who quickly followed them when she realized she wasn't sure where she was going.

After she caught up to the group, she made a decision. The main deck was going to be her favourite place.

It was like a glass globe. The entire front of the ship was covered in glass windows, making everything above and below them perfectly visible. They were held together by metal bars, sectioning the glass pieces off in small squares. In the large atrium-like area, there was three levels. The bottom level that held various control panels to keep everything working on the ship. The second level, where they walked into, that was mostly bare but had a large, stage like area attached to the glass so someone could get a good look at what was in front of them. The third level, the highest one, was smaller. It had the main controls, a lookout so they could see everything below them, and what looked like a few office rooms. Each floor had only metal grates to hold them up. Strong because they were able to maintain everything, but Videl was able to see the level below her clearly. The whole room looked so…ancient, yet new. Majestic.

At the moment, there wasn't much to be seen in front of them. Halfway through the top level and the second level started the ocean, mostly all black because they hadn't turned on their lights. Above that was surface, or for them, the ship that the submarine would be parting from. There was a lot of people standing outside, mostly wearing army uniforms or suits. Probably people who were involved in funding the expedition. At the front stood a line of five people. Three wore business suits, another had an army general's uniform sporting various medals, and the third had a regular lab coat. Mr. Briefs. Two of the ones with suits were Michael and Sarah from earlier. The general and other official, Videl didn't recognize.

To her chagrin, she was able to spot her dad sitting in the crowd. They'd gotten him his own chair and everything. He was straining his neck, trying to catch Videl through the crowd. _Just don't make eye contact,_ she told herself. She didn't need any more tears.

"Kid, hurry up!" Her eyes flashed up when she noticed Launch and the other two were going up the stairs to the top level. Videl followed with haste, struggling to not run into any soldiers and keep her balance. Workers, sailors and soldiers were lining in, filling up just about every level. She didn't think there was going to be enough for all of them. Luckily for her, not many followed her up the stairs.

After finally climbing her way to the top, she was hit with a wave of relief when she saw Bulma at the front. At least there was one familiar face among the group. Along with her was four other men and a boy. One man was fairly large, with long dark hair and what looked like a permanent scowl on his face. He wore a pair of overalls under a brown jacket. The other man was much taller, bald like Krillian, except instead of 6 dots he had a third eye. His clothes consisted of just a pair of green cargo pants and a white undershirt. At least the other man, who Videl recognized as Yamcha, had dressed better. His dark hair was cut shorter than she'd seen it in pictures, framing the scar on his cheek. Along with that he had a black jacket over a button up sailor's shirt and black shoes and pants. Sitting at a table was a young child, with skin as white as snow. He wore a sailor's hat and a blue and white sailor's uniform.

But from the conversation she walked in on, she guessed she wouldn't get any more about him for a while. "Chaozu, head downstairs," the three-eyed man was telling the child. At least, she thought it was a child. Maybe he was just short like Krillian. "They only want the heads of the departments up here."

Obediently, the boy nodded. "Okay Tien." He certainly sounded like a child. Slipping off the desk he practically floated past her and to the stairs. Wait…was he actually floating?

Glancing up, she noticed the fourth man she hadn't paid attention to before. "Krillian, who is that?" Krillian turned to see the man she was staring at. It was an older gentleman, one who wore a regular general's uniform. He had black hair cut short and was standing at attention. The first one she'd met who really struck her as military personal.

"That's Mituzaki," Krillian explained. "He's in charge of the military forces that are getting involved." She should have known from the jacket. But the man seemed much more…normal than the others. Even she, being an 18 year old surrounded by adults, seemed to fit into the group of misfits. Each of the others had some weird quirk, while the general just looked like a regular general. He didn't fit in.

At least she wasn't the only outcast of the group.

Ignoring their conversation, 18 headed over to the board table and took a seat, Krillian on her tail. Launch on the other hand, headed over to the man with three eyes that the boy had called Tien. He glanced up at her, taking in the blond hair and light eyes. "You sneezed," Tien said, sounding bored.

Launch snickered. "You know you like this side of me more than the other."

"I like all of you," he replied, refusing to take a side. She frowned, unsure if she should be flattered or insulted. In the end she just shrugged and slipped into the seat next to him. Videl watched the interaction with mild curiosity. He didn't seem anymore bothered with the multiple personalities than Krillian had been.

Silently, she took a seat next to Krillian. "Hey, Krillian?"

"Hmm? Yeah kid?" He'd been taking in the sight of the people waiting at the docks. For a moment it looked like he had been searching for someone.

"I don't get it…does she have a multiple personality disorder?"

"Well…kind of…we call it that just because we aren't sure what else to call her. But she's the same person all the time, her attitude just switches. It's like…you know some days you wake up feeling really happy, while other times you just wish that the world would end so you don't have to deal with your problems? She's like that, except her switch is automatic instead of gradual like most people. She's still Launch through it all though. Whether she's acting tough or sweet doesn't matter. She'll still say her favourite food is pie, she'll still say she hates large crowds. Sometimes she just acts differently towards them.

"Like the angel and devil on the shoulder idea," Videl summarized. "But they're just switching controls."

He shrugged. "Sure, that works. In the past she hadn't been able to remember what experiences the other had, but thanks to our…assistant medic, Chaozu," he gestured to the direction the kid had gone, "She can remember most of everything, even if it's a bit fuzzy."

"…yeah…Sure…That makes sense." In reality, hardly anything had made sense to her since she'd gotten on the sub. Only fitting for a journey to a lost country.

It only took a moment for Bulma to catch her eye. "Videl! Great, you're here." She walked over to her, a welcoming smile on her face. "Here, let me introduce you to everyone. Hey everybody!" They all turned, making Videl's face go bright red. Bulma on the other hand seemed to have no problem being in the spotlight. "This is Videl, the translator for Saiyan text. Videl, you've already met 18 our communications specialist." 18 just nodded quietly. "Also Launch, the explosives and assistant cook…Krillian one of our top soldiers too! Great." Krillian waved supportively, and Videl gave a tiny wave back.

"Alright, and here's the rest of us. This is Tien," She said, pointing to the one with three eyes. "He's got a mean face, but you can trust him. He's one of our top martial artist specialists, and has some background in medics." Videl glanced over at him. The scowl never left his face. "And that's Yajirobe," She pointed to the man with long hair. "He's our main chef. And this is general Mituzaki," She said, pointing to the general who tipped her hat at him. "He's in charge of all army personnel and second in command. Next to me of course." Videl wasn't sure she was too happy with a military man being second in charge. They were just going on an archeological dig. What would they need so many martial artists for?

"And this," She began with a slight squeak of joy in her voice. "Is my boyfriend, Yamcha." The one with a scar on his cheek walked over, a warm smile matching Bulma's on his face. "He's taken classes in ancient cultures and I've taught him a thing or two about geology. He's pretty cool, right?" She sounded more like a teacher showing off her student than a girlfriend talking about her boyfriend.

Yamcha didn't seem to mind, putting one arm around Bulma's shoulder and offer the other hand to Videl. "It's great to meet you. Bulma's told me a lot about you." That just made Videl turn a light shade of pink when she shook his hand.

"Ah, thank you. T-there's really not much to tell."

"You kidding? Bulma won't shut up about the girl who translated the saiyan language! At least with you around we're finally able to go on this trip she's been talking about for years, even if I do think it's a fool's errand."

Bulma swatted her boyfriend's arm, making him wince. "Well if you think that this trip is going to be so meaningless, then you can go home."

"I didn't say that!" He argued.

Before Bulma and him could get into a full out argument, another member walked up the stairs. "Sorry everyone! I didn't mean to be late, my fault entirely. Ha-ha!" The joyful voice made her wonder if her dad had somehow got on board. They all turned to face, instead of her father, a very tall, large man walking up the stairs. He wore a brown jacket and black pants with a white button up shirt underneath. Despite his large, threatening frame, he wore a pair of tiny glasses and a huge smile on his face. When he saw all of them the smile never left his face. "Hey, is everyone here? That's great!"

"Yup, we're all ready to go." Turning back to Videl again, she introduced the new man. "Videl, this is the Ox King. He's the father of the women who wrote that book of yours. And he's a king from out west."

Videl's eyes widened as she spun around to face him. The man just laughed and rubbed his head sheepishly. "You can just call me Ox."

"You're a king?" Videl repeated, deciding to focus on that before she focused on his daughter. "Why are you coming down here?"

The older man shrugged. "For my daughter obviously. Dear Chi-Chi went down to look for this place before you were even born. I don't know what happened to her but…I'd like to see if she was right or not." He shook his head, memories flooding in. "My daughter had a big heart, but she could be very stubborn. Even when I told her she shouldn't go with the boy, she was determined. I don't know what she would have done if I hadn't eventually given in."

"Wh-who was the man who told her everything? How did she lose the book, how did my mother find it? Why did he want her to write all this down anyway? What good did it do him?" Ox cut off her questions with booming laughter.

"My goodness, and I thought the rest of you were curious!" Some of the others laughed, making Videl's cheeks turn red again. How long before she got used to everything?

Not anytime soon, if she had to guess.

"Alright everyone," Bulma said, gathering their attention. "Time for the send-off. Stand up and try to look presentable." That last comment was said with a pointed glare towards the man named Yajirobe.

He just scowled. "If they don't like how I act they can kick me off. Let's see them get another chef as good as me."

Bulma rolled her eyes, but didn't argue. "Whatever," She mumbled. Going to the edge of the top level she surrounded herself with the main controls. As she did a few people in the crowd hushed others, gathering the attention towards the women at the front and her associates behind her.

"Good evening everyone," She exclaimed, her voice boomed outside thanks to the speakers. "My name is Bulma Briefs. I will be in charge of the expedition, with general Mituzaki as my second in command." The general stepped forward, nodding towards the crowd. _Man of few words,_ Videl noted. "Thank you all for being a part of this expedition. We hope to return with evidence of the Saiyan culture, new technology and findings of Atlantis and knowledge that will go towards a better tomorrow." The cheesiness of the speech made even Videl wince. _What, had she read it off of a billboard cover of something?_ From what she'd known of Bulma, she didn't put much preparation or thought into how she looked in the public eye. She wouldn't be surprised if Bulma was making it all up as she went along.

'My team and I," She waved to the people behind her, "Are all looking forward to the adventures ahead. We are all prepared for the risks that come forward, and will take up the challenge. After many months of preparation and planning, we have finally found a way to get to Atlantis, thanks to our young translator, Videl." What? As Videl's blood ran cold, Bulma motioned for her to get up and come forward. She was asking her to stand in front of all those people? She hadn't warned her about that! Life threatening conditions and a possible failed expedition, sure, but standing in front of all those people? NO Thank you!

At her side 18 rolled her eyes when Videl hesitated. "Just get up there," She grumbled while pushing her forward. Videl yelped and just barely caught herself before she fell flat on her face. Yajirobe and Launch snickered behind her when a shade of red covered her face. Bulma shot them both a glare that shut them up as Videl dragged her feet to the front. Worried eyes tried to catch Bulma's but she didn't say anything. All she did was wink. Because THAT was reassuring.

As she got to the front, she risked a glance at the people before her. All eyes were on her, examining and judging her with just a quick look. She could hear their thoughts as clear as if they had said them to her personally. _Why is someone so young on board? Is she really the translator? This mission is doomed. Why are they relying on some kid?_ Unwillingly, she looked down towards the levels below her as her shoulders slumped. Before she had been so confident in her mission to find Atlantis.

But having all these people relying on her brought her down more than she was willing to admit.

At her side, Bulma made a face at her reaction. "Don't look like you've been defeated before we've even started," Bulma whispered to her urgently. "You're here to find Atlantis, not to meet their expectations."

She was right. She hadn't thought about standing in front of a group of people because that wasn't what she was there for. That had never been her goal. She was going to find the lost country of Atlantis and the remnants of a once great civilization, the saiyans. To go on the journey a lifetime and stand proud at her victory.

Without even realizing it, she had straightened her back and was standing tall and proud.

"We hope to see you all again!" she heard Bulma calling to the crowd. "And now. To Atlantis!"

They all watched as the surface escaped their vision, Videl ignoring her father calling out, 'that's my little girl!'


	4. What Giant Monkey

What Giant Monkey

Three weeks. Three weeks they were on the sub. For 21 days they were underwater, keeping the sub working and heading towards the destination in the book. And for those 21 days Videl did exactly…

Nothing.

Videl. Did. Nothing.

Well, not exactly nothing. But if felt like nothing. She hadn't realized just how long it would take for them to even get to the gateway. Yamcha had said a few times at breakfast that he could fly them there quicker than the boat was taking if they could get there above land. Whatever that meant. Her days started to take a regular pattern. Sleep, get up, breakfast, train with whoever was available, eat lunch, do translations in the book, sometimes talk to people, dinner, meeting with others about the daily reports, bed. As she read the book she looked through it desperately hoping there was some kind of shortcut to the gates. But just like the first time she'd read it when she was much younger, there was none.

At the moment, they were looking for the gateway. In the book it was described as a large, circular entrance, carved in with symbols and stories of their ancestors. That entrance was the start of the only known path to get to Atlantis. According to the book there was trails and paths along the ocean floor with saiyan writing that would lead to the entrance. The only problem was…The book did not say a thing about where those trails were. Both Bulma, the Ox King and Videl had showered the notes day and night, trying to find a clue. But all the book said was 'the writing on the ocean floor will lead you to the gateway.'

Which left the team nothing to do but search every inch of the ocean floor.

For WEEKS.

On day 22, Videl had just finished her shower after training and was heading down the hall on her way to lunch. It hadn't taken Videl long to realize why Bulma had chosen that crowd of 'misfits' to come down with them. Even the young boy, chaozu, was able to pack a mean punch. She'd been training with them for days and she could barely handle fighting Yamcha or Launch. Tien, Krillian and 18 trained with her sometimes, but whenever they did it didn't last long. She didn't stand a chance.

At least training with them helped her learn a few things. They taught her how to sense chi, a life force that had been written about in the book but she'd never understood. Also they taught her moves that the trainers back on the surface hadn't even approached. Some of them Videl realized they probably didn't even know about. Like energy blasts. And flying. After she'd gotten over the initial shock that it was possible she'd wondered why they would teach her when they were stuck in the sub all day. Krillian had said that when they landed, (If they landed 18 had snorted) it would be a lot easier for her to get around if she was stronger and could fly. She couldn't argue with that.

Even if they didn't find Atlantis, at least the trip wasn't for nothing.

As she walked through the halls, she passed Bulma's office. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted Bulma at her desk. Taking a closer look, she realized she wasn't the only one who was having a hard time with the waiting period. There were pages of copies of the book all over her desk with a large map of the ocean in the middle. The desk was so cluttered all her regular items had been pushed into a chair in the corner. Her books, lamp, some photos, all forgotten and left to the side while papers, pencils and navigational tools took up all her attention. She didn't even notice Videl as she walked in the room.

Though, to be fair, she was fast asleep.

"Hey…Bulma?" Videl hesitated. "Are you…Um…?" She carefully nudged her shoulders to wake her up.

Instead of waking up Bulma mumbled under her breath. "Turtle…Dragon balls…Saiyan writing…mmm…" Videl didn't have a clue what the first two things were about, but decided it wasn't that important.

"Uh…Yamcha you…idiot…" And that's when she decided to wake her up.

"Bulma! Bulma, wake up!" Videl shook her shoulders, but forgot how much stronger she'd gotten over the past few days. Bulma was jolted out of sleep almost instantly.

"Gah! Mr. Roshi if you touch me again I will kick you in the-" She stopped when she realized where she was. Blinking, she glanced around the room. When she spotted Videl staring at her, everything came flooding back to her. "Oh, hey Videl. What are you doing here?"

After she'd stepped away she answered her question. "I saw you asleep from the hallway. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. You were talking in your sleep a bit…" After a pause she added, "Who is Mr. Roshi?"

It took Bulma a moment to remember who she was talking about. "Oh...Just the guy who trained some of my friends…thank goodness he didn't want to come down with us. I would have lost it being stuck underwater in the same boat as him for so long." She sighed and leaned back in her chair to stretch out her arms. While she did that Videl pondered, wondering just how terrible of a teacher Krillian and the others must have had. When Bulma caught her look she laughed. "Oh, don't worry about it. The guy is pretty sexist, but other than that he's nice to people. As long as you know how to handle him, you can go by without even noticing."

"Um…Okay…How do you handle him?"

"If he starts acting like a perv, knock him out cold." Huh.

"Anything new to report?" Bulma asked with a loud yawn. "ANYTHING at all?" Videl wished she could give her better news, but all she could do was shake her head. Bulma sighed deeply, propping her elbows on her desk and resting her chin in her palms. She didn't notice one elbow on top of a picture of a saiyan rune and another in the middle of the ocean map. "Yeah. Didn't think so.'

'The workers are starting to get agitated," Bulma admitted to Videl. "Our soldiers especially are getting tired of having to stay inside all the time, as you've probably seen." She had. Just a few days ago she'd overheard Yamcha trying to convince Bulma to let him and a few others go swimming outside. But Bulma had reminded him (More like screamed) that the pressure from the water that far beneath the surface would crush them. Despite how inhumanly strong they all seemed to be.

Even with that excuse, Videl had been tempted to join them.

In all her dreams of going to Atlantis, she'd never really considered how long it would take for them to find it. She'd been imagining what it would be like when she got there, not how she would get there. That seemed like just and added detail before. But once she was inside the boat, she wondered if she would be in the sub longer than she would actually be in Atlantis. Videl didn't want to admit her growing fear that over the year's rock formations had been damaged and it was possible that the paths would have been disfigured. Or worse, completely erased.

"I'm sure we'll find it eventually," she gulped. "I mean…we'll find something anyway."

Bulma let out a heartless laugh. "Yeah. Maybe." Shaking her head she cast a lazy glance in the girl's direction. "Anything new from the book?"

Again, Videl shook her head. "No…I mean, nothing that I think can help us find the place." She expected Bulma to be disappointed, but she just waved it off.

"Whatever it is, it can't be any more boring than staring at this map every day." She gestured to the chair that Bulma had pushed into the corner. "Take a seat. You can just push all that stuff to the ground."

After a moment's hesitation, Videl did as she was told. After pushing through the pages on Bulma's paper she eventually found the ones that she was looking for. "See this one?" Bulma frowned down at the illustration the Ox king had let her make a copy of. It was just a shadow of an animal Bulma thought. It looked like a large ape, but had a few differences. For one thing, most apes that she had seen looked jolly and played with other animals at her house. The ape in the picture was standing tall, all had more muscle than her pets at home. Not to mention the fact that it was wearing a pair of blue pants. What really caught Bulma's eye was the large, sharp teeth open in a roar. Videl on the other hand had focused on the bright red eyes that seemed to stare holes into her soul. Eyes that seemed to follow her wherever she went. Eyes that she could not escape.

She had nightmares about those eyes. And for good reason.

"I knew about this creature before, but Ox's notes were able to help me fill in some details," She explained. She wished she'd brought her book with her, but she'd left it back in her room. Normally she didn't work with Bulma and Ox on translations until after lunch. "This is called an Oozaru. It's supposedly is a…Well, truth is I used to think it was a pet, but the ox kings notes says that it might really be some kind of…transformation?" She glanced at Bulma out of the corner of her eye, judging her response.

Luckily, Bulma didn't seem phased. "Well that book says that they have tails. It's probably metaphorical, saying that they act like apes." She breathed a sigh of relief. She still wasn't used to the fact that there were others around who believed Atlantis may be real.

"I thought of that. But the thing is, when the book and Ox's notes are put together it says something that…I can't quite figure out." Bulma leaned forward, her interest caught. While she was always there to help study the translations that the Ox king and Videl had, both of them knew a lot more about it than she could. She always tried to help, but they'd both had much more experience than she did.

After making sure Bulma was listening, she went back to the picture. "Here, look at this." She turned the page to point out the writing on the right side. Like always, Bulma had no idea what it said, but Videl had gotten a lot of practice. "' _Nomi oozaru no henkan de saiyahito wa, nin'i no shin'nyū-sha o teishi suru ni wa, atorantisu no iriguchi o mamotte kuremasu._ ' It means, 'Only a saiyan in the transformation of the oozaru will guard the entrance of Atlantis to stop any trespassers.' I know it sounds crazy but…"

She didn't finish her sentence. But Bulma was able to figure it out on her own. "You think that whatever this thing is, transformation or animal, it's guarding where we need to go?" Videl hesitated. She'd been avoiding telling Bulma her thoughts ever since the idea came to her. If she told her, she would risk getting her hopes up. It was another chance to find the gateway, another clue. But since she didn't know exactly what it was, it may have all ended up being just a wild goose chase. Then what would she do? The notes the Ox king gave her combined with the book just made the creature called the 'oozaru' even more mysterious than it had been before.

Instead of getting excited, she did the next…worst thing. "I don't think you need to worry about it," Bulma shrugged as she leaned back in her chair. "Whichever theory is right, it won't make a difference. You'll be able to find out more about it when we get to Atlantis. But for now, don't worry about it."

Videl blinked in surprise. She'd expected a bigger reaction than that. Though she was happy things weren't going the direction she thought, what actually happened wasn't what she wanted either. "What…um, what do you mean?" Bulma pushed through the pages on her desk trying to find a…Something.

"Because, no matter which translation is right, it won't make a difference to us getting there." There was a silence as Videl tried to come to the same conclusion as Bulma had. "Look, let's say the rhetorical transformation is right. Then that definitely doesn't change anything about us getting there. And for the other option-actually, both options, whether it is a transformation or one of their animals, there is no way it's alive by now! This city was around hundreds of years ago according to both your notes and the Ox king's notes. The only thing that may still be alive down there would be some plant life and a few persistent insects. But this guardian thing is definitely not alive, so I'd say he's definitely not a problem for us."

With a curt nod Bulma wrapped up the conversation. Videl nodded in agreement, but something about it still nagged at her. She'd always known that even if the city existed, there was no way there was anyone still alive. It only made sense that if the people were gone than any animals would be dead to. There was no way that the ape would be a problem with that being the case.

But…

"You're probably right," Videl agreed as Bulma went back to her papers. "It's just…I don't know, call it a gut feeling. This sounds like something we shouldn't ignore." Bulma on the other hand, wasn't having the same gut feeling. She thought that it was interesting, sure, but it sounded useless to their current predicament.

Then again, she knew just as much as anyone that sometimes gut feelings could be trusted just as much as facts. 'Dear, don't go looking for the dragon balls, they are just a myth!' Boy had her dad been wrong. "Well…If you're really worried, go tell Yamcha and general Mitsuzaki. Yamcha's helping them with navigation for a bit, and I'm sure any kind of information would be useful to him at this point." Both of them knew that Yamcha wasn't an avid believer in Atlantis, and the longer it took to find it the bigger those doubts became. If they told him about a 'giant monkey,' he'd probably laugh in their faces.

Unfortunately, neither of them could think of anything else to do with the info. "Alright. I'll see you later for some more translations." With a quick goodbye Videl left the office, expecting to find Bulma fast asleep the next time she saw her. Maybe she hadn't been able to fix the thing that had been nagging at her for a while, but at least she was doing something about it. And for the first time in days she was breaking her regular pattern.

After grabbing her book she headed to the front deck she took the stairs to the top level. Through the glass wall that she'd last seen her father through, she saw the ocean floor. Well, some of it. Since they were so far down the only light came from the sub. They were using the lamps Bulma had installed to see the floor and mountains in front of them. Anything that could be considered beautiful or interesting was not useful to them finding Atlantis, which meant no one had the light to see them. Workers, soldiers and sailors were all running around at the bottom level. Or trudging was the better word. The time and lack of success was getting to everyone. Hardly any smiles were passed around and the only conversations were the basic, 'hi, how are you?'

Like she had said, Videl found Yamcha and General Mitsuzaki at the top, keeping an eye on everything. In the last few weeks Yamcha and the general had been hanging out more than Bulma would prefer. Videl had heard the two of them arguing over the little time they got to spend with each other a few times. Most of the time it was because Bulma was working a lot, but she didn't want to admit that. Krillian had said that the two of them argued a lot, and that she shouldn't worry about it. Apparently Bulma argued with everyone, it was just in her nature. But her arguments with Yamcha seemed more…unsatisfying. They would always fight about serious, relationship problems like not spending time together, her thinking he was cheating, Bulma caring more about the mission than him and serious topics they couldn't see eye to eye with. Lots of people had fights like that, but not so many. And whenever they had a fight, Videl had yet to hear them actually solve the problem. It was just fight, give each other space, and then pretend it didn't happen. That was alright with small things, but with big things? And with every fight?

She'd started to understand her friend Erasa's obsession with following the couple. But more because she actually had come to care about them both.

Neither of them seemed very happy.

Yamcha at the moment, was happier talking to Mitsuzaki than she'd ever seen him with Bulma. Maybe that was because of circumstances, but still. The two of them turned away from their conversation when they heard Videl come up the stairs. Yamcha had a grin on his face that was almost foreign compared to the rest of the crew. "Hey kid. What are you doing up here?"

Videl made a face. She wished people would stop calling her that. But somehow, it had become her designated nickname. "Hi guys. I just wanted to tell you both about something we found in the translations. It probably won't help, but Bulma and I thought we should tell you just in case." Yamcha groaned a bit at having another 'clue' from some book he didn't believe in brought to him. Secretly Videl wondered if the only reason he'd come on the trip was to make sure nothing happened to Bulma.

Mitsuzaki on the other hand turned to face her with bright eyes. "Alright. Permission to proceed." Videl had a hard time hiding her frown. The general, while showing signs that he truly believed Atlantis existed, was one of the only ones who tried to keep up formalities. Most crew members would call others by their first names and forget their ranks unless there was an order. But the general insisted on calling people soldier, making sure they remembered who was in charge and keeping men in check. When she'd complained about this once, Yamcha had argued that it was just his way of keeping everything in order despite all the 'chaos of a likely failed expedition.' Bulma and he had another fight over that one.

"Right…Well…" After a moment's hesitation she slipped her book out of the bag. Yamcha rolled his eyes when he saw it, but the general leaned in to get a better look. Flipping through the familiar pages she stopped when she found what she was looking for. "I'm not sure how much help this will be, but look." She turned the page so that the general, and a reluctant Yamcha, could get a better look. It showed the picture of the Oozaru, though didn't have all the writings that the Ox king had. Luckily the two of them wouldn't have been able to read it anyway. "This is a creature called the Oozaru. We are…um, we're still pretty unclear on what it is exactly."

Yamcha raised an eyebrow. "Looks like a giant ape with pants to me." Neither the general or Videl commented.

"We think it's either one of their animals or a metaphorical 'transformation' the saiyans can go through." Before Videl could continue to explain, one of the microphones at the front beeped. Yamcha gladly stood up and hurried to get the message. Both the general and Videl ignored Yamcha as he answered the call of a suspiciously bored sounding communications manager. AKA, 18.

"Continue," The general said.

"So, we aren't sure what it is, but right here," She pointed to the text she'd shown Bulma. "It says that the creature guards the gates. I'm not sure if it would be really useful, but I was thinking that this creature would be guarding the gates that we are looking for. If it was an animal its likely dead, and if it's metaphorical then it won't make a difference, but maybe if we are lucky there are drawings of it somewhere." The general nodded, enraptured in the image of the creature staring up at him. She wasn't sure how he was able to look so calm when the creature stared up at it. When she'd seen it for the first time she'd been terrified.

Of course, she had been five.

Before he could respond, the radio on his belt beeped. "What is it soldier?"

The fuzzy voice that came back sounded suspiciously like Tien. He'd been doing a lot of odd jobs to cover up his boredom. "Sir, we are reaching a small cave that should have an air pocket. Bulma's suggesting we go through to get some more breathable oxygen since the tanks are running low." While they'd done a good job of sustaining oxygen with the capsules, having so many people on the ship meant the oxygen ran out quicker. Every chance they got they would stop at a cave that had a small air pocket and refuel.

"Sure, give the men the okay. Also, tell Miss Briefs to come up here." Videl raised her eyebrow, but the general didn't respond.

"Understood." The radio clicked off.

After pushing the radio back into his pocket he turned to the book. "Alright, thank you for the information. Is there anything else you would like to report?"

"Err…well, no…"

"Hey general." Both of them turned to Yamcha holding up a microphone. The humor and boredom on his face had been washed away. "18 says there's something she wants you to hear."

With a grumble he pushed his chair away and headed to the front. Curious, Videl followed after him. Snatching the microphone out of his hand he rumbled into it. "What have you got 18?"

Even through the microphone Videl could hear 18's boredom as she answered. "The sonars have been picking up some weird sounds ever since we got to this area. It doesn't sound like any regular fish to me. Thought you'd want to hear it," She answered with a monotone voice. Videl and Yamcha gave each other a look. 18 hated her time being wasted which meant she would never bother wasting someone else's time. But for some fish?

The general must have known this too. "Put it on the speakers," he explained. As he was quickly telling the troops on the intercom what was going on Videl could practically hear 18 shrug nonchalantly. There was the sound of a few switches being flipped, soldiers halting their conversations, then silence.

…And then.

ROOOAAARR.

A loud, booming roar thundered through the sub. It sounded like a long, gradual boom, like a clap of thunder that would not fade away. "What…The heck…Was that?" All of them turned to Bulma who had finally appeared on the top level at the Generals request. There were sleep marks on her cheek revealing how she had spent her time. Whatever had happened before, she was wide awake then, staring at the intercom as she stepped closer. "18, is that coming from outside?"

"Uh-huh," 18 replied as another roar echoed, sending chills up their spines. "It's been going off like this for a while now. I'm not sure if it's something wrong with the submarine or the engines…"

While they considered the suggestion, Videl frowned at yet another roar. "Um…hey guys?"

"Nothing's wrong with my sub!" Bulma insisted. "It's got to be something from outside. A whale?"

They couldn't see her, but they could practically hear her shaking her head. "Nope. It's bigger."

"Bigger?" The general frowned again, ignoring the third roar. "What's bigger?" Videl spoke up before anyone could answer.

"Is it just me, or is that getting louder?"

All of them paused to listen. The roars were indeed getting louder. And clearer. It didn't sound like any kind of echo from a whale anymore. It sounded much…she didn't know how to describe it. Angrier. As if the sound was from dry land, not from underwater. Definitely not an engine problem. The sounds were too infrequent and to personified. It had to be some kind of creature making that noise. A whale just didn't make sense though. They had passed whales, and they hadn't sounded as feral as that roar. As loud and violent.

Then, for an instant, the violence was gone. Silence loomed over the sub, and all anyone could hear was the familiar hum of the engines.

"See?" Yamcha said, breaking the silence. "It was probably just some kind of-"

"APE!"

"No, I was going to say octopus or squid or perhaps,"

"No," Bulma repeated, pointing to the glass. "Ape!"

Before they could all turn to see what she was pointing at, screams were already coming from the levels below them. Straight in front of them, with bright glowing red eyes, was a giant brown monkey. It was just like in Videl's book, with the large muscles, standing on two feet, long sharp fangs and with eyes to wise to be a dumb animal. Those eyes stared ice into all of them, with red eyes like fire that shone with the wisdom that any human would have, but not an animal. And since they were talking about it being different than a monkey, why not mention the size? The creature was huge. Not as big as the sub of course, but about as tall as a 4 story building and almost as wide. Taking away from the animal image once again, it had clothes. A pair of blue pants and a belt. What would a monkey need for a belt? Once again it opened its large mouth and roared. That time the roar shook through the sub, no more need for the sonar.

Screams echoed throughout the ship. There were frantic battle cry's and soldiers went to their stations, fighters got to the ships and anyone left hurried to box up supplies before anything would be damaged by an attack. "What in all of Davey Jones locker is that thing?" Yamcha shouted as the general hurried to set order and gather the troops. But Videl knew the minute that she'd looked into it's eyes. The very thing that had been nagging at her, but she hadn't wanted to face. It was right in front of them.

"It's an oozaru!"

Bulma swirled around to face her. "What? One of those monkeys?"

"Yes, I'm sure of it!" She answered confidently. Well, as confidently as one could be with a giant monkey in front of them. "That's got to be it. Look into its eyes! The eyes are just like the ones in the picture. But the belt is new…"

"Who cares about that?" Yamcha had cried out. "Why is it still alive? Is it immortal?" Videl's thoughts automatically snapped back to her conversation with Bulma earlier. Bulma had said herself there was no way that the oozaru would be a problem. If it was a living creature, it should have died. It should have died hundreds of years ago. Videl had agreed without argument. It shouldn't be alive.

But it was right in front of them, alive. Breathing. No, that was another question.

How was it breathing underwater?

They had no answer to that. They also had no time.

The roar was the warning, they realized too late. In a flash the ape was off the ground and slammed the sub downward. Papers and weapons went flying as people snatched onto walls and railings to remain on their feet. Yamcha just barely managed to grab Bulma and the railing before she fell on her back. "Why is it attacking us?" He yelled at Videl who clung onto a table leg for dear life.

Blood pumped through her ears as she tried to make sense of the whole thing. "O-only those who are strong enough are allowed to pass!"

"Strong enough? How strong is that supposed to be?"

Bulma blew her hair out of her face as she pulled away from Yamcha. "Well let's hope my fighter subs are strong enough." As soon as she said the words ships launched out to fight back against the creature. Videl was only able to catch a glimpse of Tien and Krillian in a nearby pod before they zoomed past her. Bulma watched with a horrid fascination and wicked grin as they aimed their weapons and shot out against the creature. Most of the attacks missed, but Tien was able to zap it in the shoulder. The creature bellowed out in fury. "Yes!" Bulma fist pumped the air. "That'll teach him to mess with my ship!"

"Uh, I don't think that helped us very much Bulma," Yamcha quivered, pointing to the beast. While the shot had been dead on, the creature didn't look injured at all. The shot had done nothing but anger him. With a loud roar the creature swiped at the pods. Catching one in its hands it slammed it against the cave wall. Videl watched in horror as the crushed ship fell to the floor, the members inside not even giving a slight radio for help. Yamcha growled. "Great! What now?" Bulma stared at the animal with wide eyed furry. She wasn't as panicked as the rest of the members were. She was angry. Angry that it had hit her ship, killed her members AND destroyed her techonology!

"M-miss Bulma!" They all turned to see Launch, with dark hair luckily, hurry up to the ship. "I-I was told to tell you the ship was breached when the creature hit us. We're taking water down below, and they can't fix the hole!"

"What?" Bulma shrieked.

The general jumped up to his feet, immediantly taking charge. "We've got to evacuate."

Bulma stared at him and repeated herself. "WHAT?"

Instead of listening, he hurried to the intercom and connected to rest of the ship. "Attention all personal. Everyone make way straight to the evacuation ships, collect what you need and leave what you don't! Move it everyone, move it move it!" Despite the terror stricken through each of the members the sound of their commander barking orders was able to shock them into movement. In a flash men and women were collecting files, food and weapons and hurrying to the overship emergency ships Bulma had insisted should be large enough to fit at least two vehicles. None of them had expected they'd really need those vehicles however.

The heiress with the brilliant idea was only able to snatch the microphone out of his hand after he'd shut the machine off. "Are you crazy? Even if everyone's able to get onto the emergency ships in time, what will they do? We are at the bottom of the ocean with nowhere to go!"

The general pulled back with a scowl. Apparently he didn't take well to being called crazy. "Miss Briefs, that creature has been able to damaged your one of a kind technology with just one attack and has managed to kill members fighting back in your pods. My orders are to keep the members of this expedition safe, and to do that I need everyone out of this sinking ship and onto dry land. Everyone will head to the air pockets we were aiming for and hopefully find so land to rest on."

He snatched his arm away from her while she continued to glower at him. "Then what? We just wait there forever? Those ships won't give anyone enough oxygen to get back out when it's time! We'll be stuck there forever!" The general paused at her words, but refused to look away. Even when faced with the issue he would not take back his command.

The roar of the creature brought Yamcha to his feet. "We'll figure it out later, but right now, it's our only chance to live!" Bulma wasn't even given a chance to argue as Yamcha dragged her down the stairs. "Videl, come on!"

Desperatly she snatched her book off the table and hurried after them. The sound of roars and crashing machinery echoed behind her.

The group finally found their way down to the emergency ships. Just about all the members of the crew were finding a place on the ships, but Videl noted that not even half the troops were down there. "Videl, keep going!" She was rushed into a large ship along with Bulma and Yamcha and anyone else who could get there in time. Bulma flickered the machine to life, then with a start, charged the engines and launched them off of the boat. They went so fast, Videl couldn't even keep her eyes open. The last thing she saw as she shut her eyes in desperation was the red eyes of the creature as it howled into the sea.

…

* * *

When Videl forced herself to open her eyes again, it was dark. Very dark. And more than that, quiet.

She had no idea how they had gotten past the creature. But, glancing around, she realized they were still alive. For the time, anyway. They'd come up to the air bubble Bulma had mentioned, along with the rest of the ships that had escaped. She didn't understand why everyone was so quiet. They'd gotten away alive, how weren't they celebrating.

Only then did she notice what lay in front of them. With wide-eyed wonder she walked up next ot Bulma staring out to the land in front of them. "Is that…"

Bulma gulped. "Yup."

In front of them was a large, open tunnel. It was not a rough, accidental cave like other air pockets they had found by mistake. The tinel was carved, the lines smooth as marble and lined with ancient runes and drawings. The walls of the cave were carved with images of large apes like the one they had seen before, fighting men with dark or bright hair and, unmistakingly, specific runes.

Runes that matched the ones in her book.

"We did it," She panted, unable to believe her own words. "We did it. We…we found the gateway. Hey guys! Guys, it's here, the gateway is right-" She stopped.

Only then did she notice that there was less than half the members of the crew coming onto shore.

…

* * *

Raditz watched as small vessels reached the shore of the gates. Maybe it was a mistake to release his form to shrink in size and get a better look at them, but he was curious. They were much more persistant than the last group that had tried to get through, he noted. Of course, that had been years ago. Either way, the power levels that the scouter showed were just as weak as the last ones. He knew his king wouldn't want such weak trespassers in his territory. _Better get this over with,_ he thought as he raised his arm regretfully. _Not even a challenge…_

Before he got the chance, his brother's annoying voice shouted at him through the scouter. _Raditz!_ _Ima koko ni modotte shutoku shimasu!_ Raditz just growled in return.

 _Ani wa, watashi o nayama teishi shimasu. Pasu o kaishite shutoku shiyou to shite iru hito ga imasu,_

 _Sore wa,-ō kara no chūmondesu. Sugu ni modorimasu._

Raditz grunted. _... Rikai_

Annoyed, Raditz lowered his arm and remained in the shadows. He had no idea why his kind would want him back so quickly without getting rid of the intruders, but he knew better than to argue. Without another word he slipped away and headed back to his home without a single wandering eye catching his movements.


	5. On The Road Again

On The Road Again

One lone candle continued to flicker in the middle of the water. The one light from the ocean that could be seen. The only previous lights, the submarine that had used to hold nearly 1000 people had gone out and were lost to the bottom of the ocean. In years to come some later explorers would come and visit the sub. They would come up with their own theories to why the sub had crashed. Out of fuel? Something wrong with the engines? There would be further speculation about why there wasn't near enough people to command the big ship. Where was the commander? The head engineers? Most of their soldiers?

The girl who stood at the edge of the water knew. She'd seen it happened, and the rest others had told her. She would make it back to tell the others what happened. But would people really listen to her? Would anyone believe her? Those questions didn't bother her as she stared out to the candle, thinking off all the lives that had been lost. The families left behind.

She clenched her fist at her side. No matter what, she would not let those deaths be meaningless.

She would find what they had been looking for.

A hand clamped on the girls shoulder. Startled she spun around to face a shorter man. The expression on his face was hard, but with understanding in his eyes. An understanding neither of them had the time to discuss. "It's time to go Videl."

With a shaky breath she forced herself to settle her nerves. Up ahead others had already gotten everything ready. The few ships that they had were stuck inside little capsules after about twenty vehicles had been pulled out. The 450 people that were left had carefully arranged their equipment, tools and necessities into the trucks and the rest were made to carry the people. Krillian led Videl over to one of the three trucks at the front, a large gate covered in Saiyan symbols looming over them. Krillian jumped into the car with Yamcha and yarjirobe. Tien, Chaozu, Launch, and 18 were in the second. The one in the middle was filled with the Ox king, General Mitsuzaki and Bulma, and Videl hurried inside.

Bulma refused to look up as Videl came in. She didn't take it personally. She knew it wasn't because of her. As she'd been trying to help the others collect their supplies an hour or two ago she'd overheard Bulma crying with a dark-haired Launch at her side. 'It's my expedition…I'm supposed to be in charge…They didn't even get to see the country…They wouldn't be down here if it weren't for me and my stupid dreams of adventure and recklessness…' Videl had never heard the women speak a single word of wrongdoing about herself. Perhaps it was still arrogant to assume that all the deaths were her fault alone, but that was how she took it. Videl understood that the women wanted her space.

Ox king however, gave a weak smile at Videl's return. "Hey kid. Have you figured out where we are going?" Normally she would have frowned at the name. But she didn't have the energy at the moment. It was her book that would get them to the next step. That would not make the deaths worth it, but at least give them some meaning.

It was going to be a long trip.

"Yeah," she mumbled. "Let's get going."

Absentmindedly, as the cars started to depart, Videl thought of something. "Excuse me, Ox King?"

"Hm? Yeah Videl?"

"What day is it?"

"Um…July the 18th. Why?"

"Nothing. I just realized something."

"What?"

"Today's my prom."

…

* * *

At least it wasn't as boring as it had been on the ship. But it was a lot longer.

The book had drawn the path in front of them as a straight pathway. Unfortunately the straight pathway hadn't been so straight. Over the years the road had been damaged or landmarks that had been there had been destroyed. If it wasn't for the book they would have been stuck under the ocean's surface forever.

None of them really talked about how they were going to get back to the surface. The ships that they had only had enough fuel for emergency use, which wasn't enough to get them back home. They could manage to get to the surface, but they had no idea where they would end up. Bulma had been caught making notes about ways to get more fuel, but they were mostly futile. Most of her attention was centered on trying to get to Atlantis. There had been quite a lot of complaining about going through so much for a place that they may never find. There was less argument about whether the place existed or not. The carvings on the bridges and the walls they passed confirmed that there would be at least SOMETHING at the end. Oh, and the giant monkey. Bulma quickly shut them up with a loud yell or two.

After a few…weeks? Days? There was no light underground, so Videl wasn't sure. After some time the general stopped the group just before they were about to go on another bridge. "Let's camp here tonight," He called to the crew. "We'll move out again in 10 hours." Videl knew she wasn't the only one who had sighed in relief. To conserve fuel, the general ordered them to walk any distances that weren't too dangerous. For some reason, Bulma had managed to convince him she needed to drive at the back to make sure no one tagged behind.

"Hey, kiddo." A hand slapped her shoulder and Videl jumped. Turning she found Launch behind her, with blond hair once again. "Does that map say how much longer this trip's going to take till we get there?"

"Ah…no, not really. The book actually said it was supposed to take only a day or two for the saiyans to get through, as long as they didn't get lost." Launch snorted.

"What were they, super-humans?" Videl just shrugged nervously.

She was saved form answering when Krillian came to her rescue. "Let's start setting up tents. I'm ready to go to bed." For one of the first times on the journey, Launch (When she was blond) didn't argue with him.

"YES! Thank you, let's finally get this sleep! Ugh, that general said he's been keeping by the 24 hour schedule, but I'm pretty sure he's added a few hours to when we are awake." The two of them watched as Launch snatched a spare capsule and threw on a flat space on the floor. In only a few seconds she was inside with the cover closed. Without changing or even a snack, they heard the loud snoring that said she had fallen asleep.

Krillian rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well at least she's happy. Hopefully she'll sneeze when she wakes up. That way someone will help cook breakfast instead of help the main chef eat it all." They both risked a glance at their famous chef. He was munching on the biggest chicken leg Videl had ever seen. At least twice a day the chef was accused of eating too much or hiding food for himself.

After she'd pulled out her own tent, she turned back to Krillian who put his tent not that far from hers. "So how…how did Launch get like that anyway? Able to sneeze and change completely?"

Tien had set his tent on the other side of Krillians and accidentally overheard. He shook his head. "You don't want to know. Trust me." He didn't realize that his answer would get stares from everyone who was listening. "What?"

"You know?" Yamcha asked, who set his tent on the other side of Chaozu's, which was next to Tien.

He stared at Yamcha like he'd just asked him how gravity works. "Yeah, duh. She's my girlfriend."

"I didn't think she told anyone," Bulma muttered as she walked into the conversation. Her tent was twice the size of the rest of theirs, practically like a house. Because of that she had to set it a little ways away from the rest of the team. The general was not happy with that, saying she should have stayed with the group where it was safer. One shot from her blasters convinced him she was fine. Tien only shrugged in response to her comment.

"Yikes," Krillian plopped down in front of his tent and threw his jacket in behind him. "I don't even know that story. And I was the one who brought her into our little group." For a moment, Videl thought he was talking about the crew for the expedition. But then she realized that the little area they'd all tented in was mostly centered on the people she mostly spent time with. Krillian, 18, Launch, Tien, Chaozu, Yamcha, Bulma, the Ox king, and technically Yarjirobe, though he hadn't bothered talking to the group. He was too busy trying to plan the next day's meals.

As she started to relax, she decided to ask a few questions while she had the chance. Whenever they talked it was usually about Atlantis, or training. She'd never really learned that much about their past. "How did you all meet?"

"The dragon balls," They all answered at the same time.

Bulma laughed at the confusion on her face. "When I was about your age I went searching for these legendary,"

"Oh, Krillian told me what the dragon balls are."

She visibly deflated when she was cut off from explaining her exciting adventure to the fullest. Krillian laughed but disguised it as a cough when she glared daggers at him. "Anyway, while I was searching I met a nice old man who said he had been trained by Muten Roshi and sent me there. When I was there I found Krillian training and he offered to help me. Along the way we found the Ox king in his palace, Krillian found Launch…somewhere…And Yamcha living in the desert. Poor boy would probably still be lost without me," She laughed while the others rolled their eyes.

"Did you find all the dragon balls?" She asked.

"Of course we did! I didn't get my wish though. Some jerk wanted to 'take over the world' and all that," She grunted. "Cause that's SO original. Oolong…he's another friend of ours, wished for underwear instead." Videl's face turned bright red while Bulma shook her head at the memory. "I decided not to go again though," Bulma replied. "Since the one time was all I needed to get my wish," She sang, pecking Yamcha on the cheek. His response was a cheeky grin, but 18 raised her eyebrows.

"Krillian told me you never actually got to wish for anything. How do you know he's what you wanted if it wasn't granted?" Yamcha scowled while Bulma laughed again.

"I don't! That's what makes it so much fun!" Yamcha stared at her like she was a war traitor.

"You don't think I'm your perfect boyfriend?"

His girlfriend frowned in annoyance. "I didn't say that! I was just saying I don't need some dragon to rule how I pick my lovers! Gosh, it was supposed to be a complement. It's more fun and romantic when you don't know for certain." But the explanation wasn't enough to calm Yamcha down.

"Well maybe I don't like being as spontaneous and reckless as you. Maybe we should collect the dragon balls and make sure."

"What's the point?"

The others pointedly ignored them having yet another little squabble. Krillian sheepishly decided to continue the conversation for her. "Anyway, after that I went back to training. I met Tien and Chaozu at a tournament against a man named Piccolo. He was pretty scary back then, but he's good now. Not too good with patience, so he declined Bulma's offer to come. Later I met 18 and her brothers 17 and 16 when Bulma went to a convention for animatronic life."

"Why would she…" Videl started to ask, then noticed the glower and smirk on 18's face. "…Never mind."

"Ah the adventures that we all had," Ox king laughed, though truth be told he hadn't had that much to do with them. "And now we're going off on another. What a life we've all lived." Some of them weren't as quick to agree, remembering all the trouble and life threatening 'adventures' they'd had. Videl glanced over at him, the most open of the group, yet usually the last to be asked a question.

She decided to fix that. "What about your daughter? Did she go on lots of adventures?" For a moment the group became silent, even Yamcha and Bulma cutting off their fight. At first she was worried that she'd said something wrong, but then she saw how they leaned inwards, shutting out any other noise so they could hear everything he said.

The ox king's eyes lowered, but there was a sad smile on his face. "Ah, Chi-Chi…she met everyone here of course. Didn't go traveling with them though. Just too young at the time. Not much of a stomach for traveling either, though she loved the stories she heard from everyone. Always tried to make the place look nice whenever people came over. She'd make far too much food and get embarrassed when we all pointed that out." Videl caught a few of them nodding in agreement. Apparently Chi-Chi had been a small part, but unforgettable part of their little group.

"Then she met that strange man." All of them straightened. Krillian's eyes widened, 18 leaned forward, and even Bulma took a seat next to Videl so she could listen better. They all were expectant for information that they hadn't heard before. Of course he'd told them about the stranger who'd come to visit them every so often, but he'd never talked about his relationship with his daughter. At least he didn't look upset. He looked happy but with a bit of longing. Remembering a time when things were easier, and his daughter hadn't left.

None of them rushed him. Some were even surprised when he did start to speak. "He never actually told me his name. He asked me to call him 'goku' since it was given to him by a man from outside of Atlantis and his own name sounded to foreign. Chi-Chi was suspicious of his…oddities for a bit. Thought it was weird how he didn't know what a TV was. But I'd swear that only lasted for an hour, then she was absolutely smitten. She'd cook him all his favourite foods and listen to everything he told her intently. Whenever he left on one of his journey's she'd wait anxiously by the window for him to come back. She even got me to teach her some martial arts so she could keep up with him when he was training. Never could though. The boy was just too quick.'

'At first I was a little worried for about it. The boy was oblivious to how she felt. Didn't even know what marriage was. Thought it was some kind of food." He chuckled to himself at the memory. "But even if he didn't know what he was feeling, I could tell he felt it. He'd try and convince Chi-Chi to come with him when he went away, saying he always felt 'weird pangs' in his heart when she was gone. No matter what kinds of danger's there was he would do whatever it took to make sure she was safe. And he really did love her cooking." All of them laughed a bit. "Then he finally figured it out. He asked her to marry him, come back with him to his land. I couldn't have stopped her if I tried, not that I wanted to. I miss her dearly. I miss her every day. But I know that was where she wanted to go and that boy, however oblivious he was, was exactly who she wanted to go with. Wherever she is, whatever happened, I know she's happy."

A silence hung over the crowd. The only sound they heard was Launch snoring away in her cave. Videl could feel her smile getting bigger. She wished her dad would be so accepting of her choices. It had taken him forever to finally agree to let her go. Though she would have gone without his permission anyway. Bulma's eyes teared up a bit and Yamcha put his arm around her shoulders to comfort her. Chaozu was beaming with happiness, and even Tien risked a small smile at the story. The ox king sighed heavily.

"That's why," He began. "I don't even care if we find Atlantis."

Now that started an uproar.

"What?" Krillian exclaimed so loudly 18 had to cover her ears. "You don't care?"

"Why not?" Bulma shouted. The ox King just chuckled as they all attacked his with questions and accusations.

"If you'd all listen, I could tell you." That shut them up instantly. "Truth is, I know it exists. It has to exist, where else would the weird boy have come from? He was too odd for him to have been from any place I'd heard of. But the truth is, even if it does exist, there's no guarantee we find it. We could all pass away before we even reach the city."

"That's some great encouragement there," Bulma mumbled, but he continued as if he hadn't heard.

"That doesn't matter to me. What matters is that I see where my daughter would have gone. I know that she went to a real place, that all the stuff she wrote about is true. I'm going the same way she went, seeing the same things she saw. This is an adventure that I know she had, and I want to see the same things that my daughter had. Even if I never see her again…At least I can feel like I've been on this adventure with her." Some of them understood what he meant, but most of them frowned at the explanation. Videl, surprisingly, was one of them.

"Ox king? You don't think that the man she met was a Saiyan, do you?"

To her surprise, he laughed. "What? No, of course not! I don't think she's actually down here, that would be impossible! There's no way that the two of them could have gotten down here on their own. I meant it's like I'm finishing the journey, doing the second half while she did the writing and I do the walking. No, there is no way any saiyans are alive down here. It's been far too long. Maybe the boy was a descendent, and the story was passed down through generations until he finally told someone who wrote it down. Not sure he could have done it. He didn't really know how to write." They all laughed, the previous tension from the conversation gone. But Videl couldn't help but examine his words closely, trying to figure out the hole's he'd left.

If they hadn't gone to Atlantis, where had they gone?

Later, just before they all went to bed, Videl made the mistake of asking, "Hey, what's Yarjirobe's story?"

"DON'T ASK."

…

* * *

When she woke up, she was grateful. She'd been dreaming that there was an avalanche, and she was running as fast as she could to get away before it completely crushed her.

The sight that she saw when she woke up though wasn't any more welcoming.

The ledge that they had all slept on? It was falling.

Bursting out of her tent she tried to figure out what was going on. People were running this way and that as the ground underneath them slanted towards the bridge. They were trying to capsule all the equipment to lighten the load, but the cliff they had stayed on was already damaged by all the weight. "It's because you insisted on bringing a whole house with you! I told you it was a bad idea!" Bulma had yelled at Yamcha to shut up.

Still dazed, Videl tried to follow the others and gather her things. Just as she bent over, the floor lurched to the side again. Videl was sent toppling backwards, tumbling to the edge. Desperately she tried to call out for help and grab onto rocks as she fell. But nothing helped. No one came to save her.

Before she knew what had happened, she had been launched off of the cliff and sent into the chasm below the bridge. All she could see was the darkness that surrounded her.

…

* * *

"Videl! Videl, where are you? Kid!" Videl could hear the screams from the distance. She groaned and rolled to the side, her eyes slowly flittering open. _I'm here,_ she wanted to call to them. But even with the desire, she knew it would be pointless. Where exactly was 'here?'

Her eyes took a moment to adjust to the darkness. Mostly darkness that was. Over the edges of jagged rocks she could see the light of the lamps from her friends. She was surrounded by large boulders, but luckily she found herself on a flat one with no edges to harm her. The only problem was the cold. Near frozen stone against her skin made her shiver, helping her pull herself out of her daze. Above her all she could see was more rocks. She was still inside the cave. That was good news. At least that meant she was still with breathable air instead of underwater. Breathing was fairly important. Her second mission would be to get back to her friends.

She didn't even think about how she'd been separated from them in the first place.

Or how she'd happened to land on the one rock that would not cut through her skin.

Not until she realized she wasn't alone on the rock.

As she sat up she realised her head and nearly choked. A man knelt on the stone next to her, watching her cautiously. She couldn't make out anything about him, the cave was too dark with the only sources of light far away. Gasping she scrambled to lift herself up. IF she could get to her feet she could run. But quickly she realized that wouldn't work. As soon as she moved her foot a jolt of pain shot through her. She bit her lip to keep from crying out, eyes focused on the stranger in front of her. Through the shadows she could see his head tilt to the side at her pain. Other than that, he made no movement. All he did was…Watch her.

"W-who are you?" She forced out, ignoring the pain in her leg. Was it broken? It felt broken. Glancing down she noticed the position. Was her leg supposed to bend that way? Oh no… "K-Krillian? Is that you?" Even as she said it she knew that it wasn't him. The shadow of the man was much too large. "T-Tien? S-say something!"

He didn't. Instead, he held out his hand. At first she thought he was holding his hand out for her to take.

But then a small ball of light appeared in his palm.

She winced at the sudden light that had appeared out of nowhere. Again her eyes slowly adjusted to the sight in front of her.

The man was DEFINITELY not a part of their party.

A boy, probably about her age was the one at her side. He kneeled next to her, his dark eyes the colour of onyx staring down at her. His hair was just as dark, cut short but messy on the top of his head. He was very fit, but his skin was marred with scars around his arms and chests. His legs were covered by some form of brown leather pants. What was interesting was the blue markings on his chest. There as a main line starting on each side of the chest directly across from the shoulder. The line went down to his legs, splitting every few inches to create another line that went around to his back. And from his back the lines all met down at…

The tail.

How had she not noticed the tail?

The boy's head tilted to the side. His eyes roamed over her, only stopping when he saw her leg. It had started to swell from the injury, though she had been too busy to really notice. His eyes widened and a flash of panic crossed his features. The next thing he did was reach into the side of his pants. She hadn't noticed the little pouch he had attached to the side.

When he pulled his hand out, she noticed he was holding what looked like a green bean. Did he think she was hungry? Even if that was the problem, what good would one bean do? He offered it to her, but Videl snapped her mouth shut and shook her head. No matter what, she wasn't going to take food from a stranger, even if it was just a green bean. He tried again, but Videl leaned away. "No!" She insisted before snapping her mouth shut again. She would NOT eat that. She would not.

He blinked.

Then, without warning, his hand shot out and grabbed her nose. Her eyes widened at the sudden movement but she forced herself to keep her mouth shut. With one arm remaining in place to keep her up, the other reached out and tried to yank his arm away. It didn't move. He was like a wall, not even budging when she punched and yanked at him. Her eyes began to water. Air. She needed air. Her teeth gnashed together to keep her mouth closed while she tried in desperation to pull his arm away from her face. The arm that was supporting her swung around to help, but all it did was made the stranger her support instead of her own arm. Air. To long without air. She needed to breathe. But she couldn't. She had to, no! She just had to, but she couldn't! She had better not-

"Gasp!"

The instant her mouth opened his hand shot forward and shoved the bean into her mouth. Right away she tried to spit the food out, but as soon as it was in her mouth he used his hand to cover it. One hand held her mouth closed while Videl tried to fight against him. It was like trying to move the earth! Her scratches and clawing did nothing. The next thing she knew he had abandoned the ball of blue fire to hang in the air while the other wrapped around her head to keep her in place. "Nomikomu!" He whispered at her, but Videl was struggling too much to focus on interpreting. Through her struggles she knew he wasn't going to let her go until she swallowed. What was worse was that she knew she would have to.

In a desperate attempt to get away she grabbed the man's tail. His eyes widened and she thought she had him. But instead of letting go, his cheeks turned a bright shade of pink. Not out of pain but…embarrassment? That wasn't what she had been going for.

But it was her last shot. Reluctantly she forced herself to swallow, making a big show of gulping the food down so he could see. The blush slowly faded away but he kept his hands around her mouth. Instead of looking at her he turned and watched her broken leg. Part of her was tempted to drag herself away, even with the broken leg. That plan would have worked if her leg wasn't throbbing with pain.

…A pain that slowly began to die away.

Her eyes widened as she stared at her leg again. The throbbing had disappeared. The swollen part around her ankle had subsided to the regular size. Any blotchy redness left from the injury had left, leaving her skin the same colour as the rest of her body. Against her better judgment, she gave a little kick. Her leg moved just as normally as the other would have. When the man saw that his body relaxed. He actually let go of her to nudge her leg to make sure it was fine. She stared at him in disbelief. There was no shock on his face, no expression to match her emotions. Then it hit her.

"You…you healed my leg." More than that. If she hadn't been too shocked to pay attention, she would have noticed that her scrapes and cuts from the fall had disappeared as well. She looked just as fit and healthy as the child of an overprotective doctor. The boy looked up and she caught his gaze. They stared at each other for a moment. Both of them had many questions they wanted to ask the other. But in their current situation, neither of them how to get the words out right.

They didn't get the chance.

"Gohan!" A yell echoed through the cave. Videl jumped, nearly tumbling back onto the rocks. She'd heard it very clearly, but she couldn't tell where it had come from. The boys head whipped up, eyes alert and ready for attack.

After a pause, the boy called out to the voice. "Sore wa otōsan nandesuka?" Videl's eyes shot open. That was Saiyan language. It had to be! She'd only heard herself and once in a while, the ox king speak the language out loud. They hadn't been able to converse in it easily, but the boy spoke it like it was his first language. She was too stunned to interpret it properly. She thought she caught something along the lines of 'father.'

"Doko ni imasu ka? Nanishiteruno?" A light shade of pink crossed the boy's face.

"Nani mo chichi. Watashi wa sugu ni modotte kite imasu." He spoke quicker than what she was used to, but she managed to interpret what he had said. 'Nothing father. I am coming back now.' She hoped she hadn't heard that right.

"W-wait!" Her hand was on his arm before she realized she'd moved. He stared at her hand in surprise, then stared at her. Despite the situation, Videl had to admit he had a handsome face. A face that actually looked really stupid when he was confused. She should have told him that his mouth was hanging open. "Y-you can't just leave! How…how did you…the food…you have a tail…." He blinked at her again. Then, slowly, he pulled his arm away from her grasp. She was too stunned to resist.

Nor was she prepared for the honesty in the smile he gave her. "Stay safe next time."

Then the light was out, and she knew he'd left her. As soon as she figured that out it took no time at all to come up with her next action.

"W-wait! Come back!" jumping to her feet she rushed to try and catch the stranger who sprinted away. The stranger was going so fast Videl didn't see his feet touch the ground. He danced through the rocks as easily as someone would a plain of grass. Videl struggled to keep her balance and not undo the medication that the stranger had given her. "Stop! Hold on! Just wait a second!" The boy paused. He halted in his tracks just before a wall of rocks came before him. Videl caught the glance he sent over his shoulder. There was an untamed curiosity in his eyes.

There was another yell. In an instant he snapped his head back to the wall. At first Videl thought he was stuck, but that didn't last for long. It took him only a second to gather his bearings and start climbing the wall. He went just as fast as he had been going when he was running. His limbs snaked around the rocks and avoided the jagged edges as if it was instinct. Videl was not so lucky, earning a few new scratches as she ran in desperation to catch up with him. She'd only just reached the bottom of the wall by the time he'd already reached the top. She'd never been a good climber. Heck, she'd never even been climbing before. But there was not a thing in the entire world that could stop her from getting up there.

Her feet ached as she yanked herself to the top. She couldn't spot the boy anywhere. But there was a glimmer of light up ahead. A small, little sliver, but it was enough.

Without giving it a second thought, without considering waiting for the others, she dashed forwards and ran through it.

"Who are you?"

 **Sorry this is late! For some reason my computer kept deleting different paragraphs I wrote, and things have been really busy at work so it's taken a lot longer.**


	6. Meet the Saiyans

Meet the Saiyans

"Videl? Oh thank goodness we found you-" Bulma cut herself off when she saw the light. "Whoa."

Videl had found herself on a large cliff. Lying underneath it was a city. A city that went on and on and on. It was hard for the group to remember they were still under the ocean. The cave that they had entered from went up so high that there may as well have been no roof at all. Somehow, in that cave there was a large ball of light hanging somewhere above as a makeshift sun. A large ocean surrounded the island country, lapping at its shores. The city looked like it had been there as long as the jungle and the two different aspects had decided to get along. Some buildings were designed to look like trees, moss grew on the walls and boulders were landmarks. There were buildings of old and vegetation just like they had all predicted.

But the people? They had not expected the people.

Or to be more specific, the saiyans.

The rest of the group had followed Bulma after capsuling their technology. None of them could hide the awe on their faces. Hundreds of saiyans bustled around in the city below them. Men, women, children, elders, all of them. Most of them wore different coloured clothes underneath white armour, gloves and boots. When they'd pictured finding Atlantis, they thought they'd find a dark country in ruins, abandoned for years. They didn't expect everything to be running so smoothly, for the buildings to look almost brand new and the people that lived there as easily as they lived in their own homes.

"The country of Atlantis," the Ox king gaped. "It's…it's just how Chi-Chi always described it."

"Uh, did she happen to explain why there are people living here?" Krillian pushed. "Because, really, I was kind of expecting everyone to be a bit more…dead."

"A lot more dead," 18 agreed.

"How many different levels of dead can there be?" a dark-haired Lunch asked.

"Let's find out, shall we?" a voice from above them suggested.

Before anyone could react, three bodies jumped from down from the rocks above them. There was one man wearing black underneath white armour who looked far too excited at the suggested experiment. He had big, long, messy black hair that went below his waist, various scars on his exposed skin and a green piece of tech covering one eye. The other man had much shorter hair but it was still pretty long by their standards. The difference was that it stuck out and up instead of fell down like most. His expression was calmer than the others. Actually, he didn't looked focused at all. His eyes were far off, thinking about something that had nothing to do with what was going on.

The third jumped to the front. It was easier to recognize him in the light as the one who had saved her life. "You…"

In an instant, the soldiers of their group were in fighting stances. Tien, 18 and Krillian went to the front, each picking off one of their enemies to fight. The other soldiers went to the civilians, the ones who couldn't fight, and distanced them from the fight. Yarjirobe was trying to make Lunch sneeze so she'd grab her weapons. Yamcha had gone to Bulma's side, though Videl could see her snatching a gun off of her belt. The one with long hair sneered at their preparations like they were tasty treats that were delaying the inevitable. The one with messy hair tipped his head to the side curiously, but there was a wicked smile on his face at the prospect of a battle. The youngest one Videl recognized frowned at their reaction, but likewise prepared for battle.

It took Videl a moment to realize Krillian was pulling at her sleeve, trying to yank her behind him. Against her better judgment, she refused to budge. Videl's eyes caught the one she had met before. His dark eyes focused on her, ready for battle but not eager. He had saved her life. He had helped her. That meant he didn't want to hurt them right? It was a small hope, trusting that a stranger would listen to her plea, but it was hope. "W-wait, don't attack! We aren't here to fight, we are explorers!"

"I don't think they're willing to talk right now Videl," Krillian whispered keeping an eye on the big one. He didn't argue, surveying the crowd hopefully.

They were all stopped when the young one held out his arm. The man with long hair stared at him with wide eyes, but he didn't budge. He turned to the other man who shrugged carelessly. Since they were in the light Videl was able to look at the stranger closer than she had before. He was about her age, but much bigger. His hair was shorter than the others and though he must have been years younger he looked more put together. She wasn't sure why the youngest of the group would be able to give the other an order, but that idea shifted when he turned to the other man. "Sentō wa hitsuyōde wanai kamo shiremasen. Watashi wa karera ni hanashite mo īdesu ka?"

Since she was feeling better, she could understand what he had said. _Combat may not be necessary. May I talk to them?_

The third man shrugged. "Baai wa, sore wa yoi aideada to omoimasu." _If you think it is a good idea._ He was the one in charge? The man had careless eyes, was not put together and held no air of a leader. Heck, he hardly seemed like a soldier. He seemed to her like a little kid just going with the flow. The other man was much younger yet he held the air of a leader more than him.

Her thoughts were swept away when he turned back to the group. His eyes roamed the crowd until he caught her. Perhaps it was her imagination or hopeful thinking, but she thought she saw his expression soften just a bit. "Hitobito wa anata ni daredesuka? Anata wa koko de nani o shite iru no?" It took her a minute to realize he was speaking to her and not Bulma. _Who are you people? What are you doing here?_

After quickly glancing back at Bulma for permission she answered. "Watashitachiha, jōki no tochi kara no tanken-kadesu. W wa, wareware wa anata no kuni ni tsuite ōku no densetsu o kiite, watashitachi wa koko de daun shite manabu koto ga dekiru nani ga atta ka dō ka o kakunin shitai to kangaete imashita." _We are explorers from the land above. W-we had heard many legends about your country and wanted to see if there was anything we could learn down here._

 _For a moment, the boy let down his guard and Videl could believe that he was younger than he acted. "_ Tanken? Ue kara?" _Explorers? From above?_ The large man behind him grunted. The boy quickly composed himself and became a warrior once again. "Anata wa hontōni tanken-kadearu baai wa, naze anata wa buki o motteinai to watashi wa senshi o sōtei shimasu ka...?" _If you are truly explorers, why do you have weapons and...I assume warriors?_ He glanced at their group skeptically.

She decided not to tell her friends about that. Videl shook her head. "Karera wa tada yōjindesu. Wareware wa kitai suru ka wakarimasendeshita. Watashitachiha, daremoga koko de ikiteita to wa omoimasendeshita." _They are just a precaution. We didn't know what to expect. We didn't think anyone was alive here._ The larger man snorted at that. But that time, the younger one ignored him.

"Videl." She turned back to Bulma and the others. They all watched the transaction with curiosity, but Bulma looked annoyed. "Can you ask him to speak in English? The rest of us don't understand." They didn't notice the reactions of the saiyans at her request. The big one narrowed his eyes in annoyance, while the other man rubbed the back of his head. The young one actually looked excited at the idea.

"Oh. Right…um…I'm not sure if they can,"

"We can speak English." They all turned to the one in the front. "It is simply…not in our custom." He continued to speak to Videl as if nothing had changed, but relented to speaking in English. "You shouldn't have made such assumptions. What will you do now that you see we are still around?"

"I…"

"Then we'll just ask your permission," Bulma interrupted as she stepped up. She looked much more confident than Videl felt. "We didn't come all this way for nothing. Who can we talk to to get permission for our little trip?" All three of them stared at her in surprise. The large one in the back snarled at her.

"He wasn't speaking to you."

Bulma bristled at the comment. "Well he should! I'm the one who is in charge!"

"Really?" The big man pressed a button on the side of the green contraption on his ear. "But you're so…weak."

"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY ABOUT MY YOU GIANT OFF OF A-" It took Yamcha, the general, and the Ox king to restrain her. The three saiyans all jumped back in surprise. She could practically hear them all thinking, _Oh, maybe not._

Then the one in the back focused on those restraining her. "Hey…are you…Ox king?"

The Ox king looked up in surprise. "Why, yes I-" That was when recognition crossed over the old man's face. "GOKU?"

"Ox king! You're here!" without warning the other man jumped past his two partners and over to him. The humans around him rushed to get back, but the Ox king held firm. "It's been a really long time! How've you been?"

"I've been well, I've been well! What…what are you doing here? I thought you and Chi-Chi…" A look of horror flashed across his face. "Is Chi-Chi okay? Is my daughter alright?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't she be?" The man-Goku-pointed over the edge down to the city. "She's right down there."

"Well," The ox king ran a hand through what was left of his hair. "I'll be darned. To be honest, I wasn't sure you were a saiyan when we met. Guess I know for sure now."

"Uh…" Krillian looked just as confused as any of them. "Ox? What's going on?"

"Hm? Oh yes, everyone!" The ox king put an arm around Goku's shoulder. Everyone jumped, expecting the man to react, but he just laughed. "This is the man! This is Goku, the man who married my daughter!"

"Technically, it's kakkarot down here," The big man grumbled. He and the boy looked just as confused as their team.

The two of them just laughed, like old friends that needed to find a bar so they could catch up. Some of the people on their side visibly relaxed, but no one dropped their weapons. "My boy, that is good to hear! I must admit, when you took my daughter away to get married, I didn't think you'd come here. I'd always thought you'd gone to a different country."

"This IS a different country."

"I was thinking more along the lines of Europe."

"What's a Europe?"

Ox king just laughed enthusiastically. On their side, the young boy stepped forward cautiously. "Um…Father?" He glanced at him and the older man as if he expected them to start punching each other any second now. "Who…who is this? Do you know this human?"

"Sure do squirt. Ox king, this is my son. His human name is Gohan, and his Saiyan name is,-"

"Chi-Chi's son?" Ox king rushed over to him and Videl could see the boy's skin crawl visibly. But the Ox king was friendly and his smile was disarming. He took Gohan's hand in his and shook it so quickly Videl thought it was going to fall off. "My little girl's already had a son. And look how big you are! It certainly is good to meet you my boy. I never thought I'd get to see my grandchildren. Wasn't sure if I even had any!"

Gohan looked like he couldn't decide if he should be thrilled or terrified. "I-it's nice to meet you too…G-grandpa?"

The little scene was quickly torn to bits. "Ex-cuse me!" They all turned to see Bulma with her hands on her hips and a frown on her face. "While this whole reunion thing is really great and all, we can't all just stick around watching you guys forever. Is there someone we can talk to who is in charge? Or at least a place for us to set up a camp?"

Gohan quickly took charge once again once he regained his composure. "Yes, of course. Uncle Raditz will bring your people to a place you can rest. Please choose a small group of your leaders and I will bring you to our king."

"Anata wa ō ni mishiranu hito o motte kaeritai to omoimasu ka?" They turned to the big man who stared at his nephew incredulously. "Kōun no shōnen." Mentally, Videl translated. _You want to bring strangers to the king? Good luck boy._

Gohan narrowed his eyes at his uncle, but respectfully decided not to retort. "Kore wa kare ga shiritai to omoimasu monodesu." _This is something he'd want to know about,_ the boy assured the older. He just scoffed and shook his head.

"Anata wa, kare wa yoi kibun deda yori yoi inoru omoimasu." _You'd better pray he's in a good mood._

Videl had no idea what that meant. But she hoped she wouldn't have to find out.

Bulma had no problem adjusting. "Fine. Krillian, 18, you two are in charge while we are gone. The general, Yamcha, Ox king, Videl and I will go with…Gohan, was it?" Gohan nodded politely. But Videl felt her blood run cold at her suggestion. Her? She had to come to? She was excited to be in the city, but in all of her wildest dreams she'd never imagined speaking to Saiyan's, much less go to their king! Bulma caught Videl's expression. She leaned over and whispered to her. "If these guys insist on talking in Saiyan, we're going to need you to come." Oh. Right.

Why hadn't she taken her free time to teach some of the others Saiyan again?

The groups separated, leaving the two saiyans and the five humans. Goku laughed, completely oblivious to the tension in the air. "Well, let's get going then! The king really hates waiting!"

"How can he be waiting if no one told him we are coming?" Yamcha muttered, but no one heard him.

Instead they all followed Goku and Gohan down to the city. Goku and the Ox king led the way, chatting and catching up. The general, Yamcha and Bulma walked along behind them, discussing what they would do if things didn't go their way. Videl accidentally drifted behind them, staring in awe at the city around them. The Saiyans were just how she pictured. Well, other than being alive. All muscular with dark hair and long tails. Some men were fighting in the streets, children would jump from the trees while laughing with each other. A few of them glanced at the little group as they walked through, but no one bothered them. It was all so…incredible. It really was a dream come true.

She was so absorbed in the city she didn't notice Gohan had slowed down to walk next to her. "You were the girl who broke her leg, right?" She jumped in surprise. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you."

"I-it's fine," She relented. The boy was much more polite than she'd ever imagined any saiyans to be. Most saiyans were described as warriors, fighters. There were no texts on their manners. If Goku had been the one to help write the book, she guessed he hadn't thought that stuff was important. "Thank you for that."

"You're welcome," he nodded. "Are you really from the surface?" She nodded, and his eyes lit up in awe. "I've never met anyone from up there except for my mother.

"Well…I've never met a Saiyan before. We all thought they were dead." After a pause, she decided to try and be a bit more diplomatic. "If you like, I can tell you what it is like up there. I have a few questions about down here anyway. So the two of us can exchange information."

She was nervous that he would say no, but the boy beamed. "That would be great! Not many saiyans down here like to talk about anything other than fighting, battle, or ways to make the country better. There's not much to learn when you've already read all the books the country has to offer." He paused. "That isn't very much."

Part of her wanted to say she was sure they had more, but the truth was she had no idea what his idea of 'not very much' was. As far as she knew, he could have read millions and was expecting billions. She could probably find a lot, but she couldn't tell him that much.

Instead, she asked him about earlier. "So…what was that thing that you gave me? The bean?"

"Oh, the senzu bean? It can heal just about any mortal wound as long as you eat at least half. But you can't eat too many, or you won't be able to eat for days." Videl thought that her friend Erasa would have paid an arm and a leg for that kind of food when she was dieting.

"How did you find me when I'd fallen? I was away from the group, there were no lights around me."

"We heard the crash from where the three of us were standing guard. When I was sent to check, I was able to hear your breathing away from the group." He slowly trailed off when he saw that she was staring at him.

"You heard me BREATHING?"

He blinked in surprise. "Y-yes. Can't you…" he paused. "Oh. My mother can't hear things as well as my father and I can. I used to think that was just her. But is it possible…"

"…that it's just humans vs. Saiyans," Videl finished for him. The book had described heightened senses, but she hadn't been aware just how different they were from humans. And if he was half human and half saiyan, what did that mean for a full blooded saiyan? "What else can Saiyans do? What about the…the oozaru?"

Gohan tilted his head to the side the same way his father had. "I've only actually,"

"We saw the monkey earlier," She decided to add before he told her something she already knew. "It was at the entrance that we used to come it. Killed half the crew," She added as an afterthought. She didn't want to forget all the people who were sacrificed.

Videl didn't recognize the panic on his face. "He…he did?"

"Yeah. We used to have a lot more people than we do now. What was that giant monkey anyway? The books said it was a transformation, but that doesn't seem possible. Was it a pet or…"

"Y-yeah. It's one of our animals. M-most of them don't live around here. They are too busy to stay in the city." Videl nodded. She was too busy absorbing the new information to notice the sweat trickling down Gohan's face. He certainly hoped that wouldn't be one of the mistakes that would come back to haunt them. Or more specifically, him.

As they continued walking, another question came to her mind. "Hey, remember when you were healing my leg?"

"It wasn't that long ago…" She ignored that.

"Yeah, but, why did you blush when I'd grabbed your tail?" His eyes widened. Out of the corner of her eye she notice Goku glance back at his son. At first she thought there was no way he had heard her, but then he sent his son a goofy grin and Gohan turned a bright shade of red. "Gohan? What is it?"

"Oh, um…it used to be that a saiyan would lose their power when someone grabbed their tail. But once you get stronger that goes away. After you overcome that it's like…um…if you grab it it's like your…er…the sensation that you get is…er…I mean, it's…c-culture says that the only person who should grab your tail like that unless it's in battle is your…lover…."

That's when Videl's face turned an even brighter shade of red. "Oh. Oh. Ooooooooh."

Gohan gulped. "Mmhm."

"I-I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. You didn't know."

"No, really, I didn't mean too-"

"Hey Gohan!" Goku called back to his son, making both of the young adults jump in surprise. "You both ready to meet the king?"

Videl blinked. She was so preoccupied talking to Gohan, she hadn't paid attention to their surroundings. She found herself in front of a large set of doors, coated brown with glowing blue sayian runes on the side. Beyond the doors were sets of white stone walls, going on further than she could see. There was the carving of a giant monkey on the front, similar to the monkey that had taken down their ship. Before she'd used to laugh and think to herself, ' _yeesh, these guys really like monkeys. They even have tails like them!'_ But after being attacked by one, the sight of it made her sick.

"Aren't…aren't we going to the castle?" She forced out, more as a distraction. Goku frowned in confusion when he noticed her, and the other humans, unable to look at the doors. Instead they all found something else to look at.

Gohan noticed her unease, but pretended not to. "Currently our king is working on some business development. He wants to continue to make Atlantis bigger than it already is."

"Really?" Yamcha questioned as Goku called for the doors to be opened. "Seems pretty big to me."

"Ooh, a king," Bulma observed. "Sounds pretty fancy huh? Can't wait to meet this guy!" Gohan frowned. Videl doubted that their king would be very happy to be called, 'this guy.'

"Be careful guys," Goku advised as the doors opened. "King Vegeta doesn't really like being interrupted."

Behind him, Bulma sneered. "Well. I'll just make sure that he makes extra time for me then."

 **Um….nothing to say….yay!**


	7. Two Stubborn Leaders

Two Stubborn Leaders

Videl wasn't sure what she pictured when Gohan had told her they were going to see the king.

But long spikey hair was definitely not one of them.

When they walked in there were quite a few saiyans in the area. Most of them wore the same white armour with blue pants and white gloves. A few had green machines on one eye as they stared through them at the strangers. But it was easy to spot the king from the crowd. He had dark hair that stuck up like a pineapple, with eyes the colour of onyx to match. He was shorter than most of the men in their group, though judging from his physical stature he could hold himself up in a fight against any of them without a scratch. His dark eyes were intense. Just…intense. Videl wasn't sure how else they could be described.

That, and the red cape and symbol on his shirt that translated to 'king Vegeta' was a pretty big giveaway.

"King Vegeta." Gohan and Goku bowed immediately. "These travellers have come here from the world above. They wish for an audience with you." After an afterthought Gohan added. "If it would not be trouble for the king, there is only one in their party who speaks saiyan. Their preferred language is English."

King Vegeta didn't appear to like being asked for favours. He glowered at Gohan who worked very hard to not meet his eyes. His eyes quickly snapped back to the group. All of them shivered as he looked them over, his dark eyes taking in the sight of the ruffled travellers. The power coming from him was enormous! Videl doubted any of their fighters would stand a chance.

And from the way he smirked, he knew it to.

"Very well," Vegeta grunted, sounding like he was approving of a new set of entertainment. "Who are you? Humans? What are you doing here?" a few members of the group sent each other nervous glances. None of them had thought they would get that far. Others were just terrified by the fear and demand for respect that came from the king. All of them had been around leaders, kings and queens of great authority. But none of them sent the feeling of terror through them as this man did. He was born to be king. He was made to be king. And the look in his eyes said he would make sure they understood. Videl understood why Gohan would not meet his eyes.

The clatter of feet on the ground made Videl glance up. Her eyes widened when she saw Bulma walk to the front of the group just as easily as she had during the send-off. Despite the terrifying aura around the king Bulma's stride was filled with a confidence that matched his. "Name's Bulma briefs," Bulma grinned up at him. If they'd been alone Videl would have advised her not to look so cocky in front of the king. "I'm in charge of the expedition." Vegeta raised an eyebrow at her, taking in the sight of the young women at the front. If Videl had been able to read people better she'd have seen the slight approval in his eyes. Even if she had however, it was whisked away when the mask of a leader replaced it.

Instead of responding, he snapped at his guards who jumped to attention. "Darekaga watashi ni sukautā o ataeru." _Someone give me a scouter._ Videl translated in her head. The soldier to his right rushed to attention, pulling the green machine from his ear off and slipping it into his king's hand. The humans glanced at each other nervously, unsure of what to do next. Bulma narrowed her eyes at him, her patience growing thing. _Please just wait a little longer,_ Videl begged mentally. The king placed the machine on his eye. When she looked closer she could spot little numbers dancing on the screen. He locked eyes with every one of them in turn, a new number flickering on the screen each time he did.

Videl felt her heart drop when his scowl deepened with every number that passed the screen.

"Two old men, one weakling not worth my time, an annoying women and some child," The king grunted, not responding to Bulma's words. Videl got the sinking feeling that she was the child. King Vegeta narrowed his eyes at Gohan who stood to the side. "Naze anata wa watashi ni ko no yōna jikan'nomuda o motarashimasu ka?" _Why would you bring me such a waste of time?_ That wasn't good. Gohan lowered his gaze, but didn't apologize. Videl silently thanked him for that.

In an instant Videl tried to flip through her memories of Saiyan culture. They respected strength, power. Their main fighters were back with everyone else. The general and Yamcha could fight, but obviously he wasn't impressed with them. Bulma was an heiress and certified genius, but there wasn't much she could do to show that. Would they respect her ability to translate? She had to try. "Bejīta-ō, watashitachiha tanken-kadesu. Watashitachi wa anata no jikan o muda ni shitaku arimasen. Watashitachi wa koko de anata ni tsuite manabi, anata no yarikatade wanai." _King Vegeta, we are explorers. We do not want to waste your time. We are only here to learn about you, not get in your way._ The king's eyes returned to Videl and she instantly regretted speaking up.

If nothing else, at least she got something other than a scowl out of him. "Sukunakutomo 1-ri wa watashitachi no kotoba o hanasu." _At least one of them speaks our language._ The King waved one hand towards Videl, making her shiver with fear. "Will this child be speaking on the human's behalf?" Great. She was the child.

Bulma made a face. "Ah, no. I don't think so. I'm in charge of this group. No offence to Videl, but the others listen to me."

A flash of humor crossed the king's face. "I cannot imagine why," Vegeta grunted. A few of the saiyans snickered, but halted as soon as they saw the fire blaze in Bulma's eyes.

"Oh, you think you're real clever do you? Well maybe I don't want to talk to you!" Spinning on her heel she turned to face the saiyan guards. "Is there anyone else I can talk to? Perhaps someone without such a big ego?" Videl felt her blood run cold when she saw the death glare Vegeta sent her way. Perhaps it wasn't the best strategy to insult the king of a super powered nation they were trying to get permission to visit?

"Bulma, be careful," Yamcha placed a tentative arm on his girlfriend's shoulder. "These guys…their power level is insane!" Videl hadn't even considered checking their power levels. Luckily Krillian had taught her how to do it while on the ship. She had to close her eyes to concentrate on the task.

When she did, she wished she hadn't.

Yamcha was not exaggerating. Their power levels were like nothing she had ever felt before. Just reading them felt like she was being hit with a black wave and was drowning with no land in sight. Her skin trembled as the overwhelming difference between her power and theirs. Some of the guards matched with what she remembered of Tien and Krillian, though she had no idea about 18 since cyborgs couldn't show power levels. But the king…his power was spiking! She'd never felt power like that before!

Then she turned her attention to Goku. And she realized why he had been in charge before.

She almost audibly gasped at the feeling of his power. His power was unimaginable, she felt defeated before a battle had even started! His expression was calm, easy going, but underneath there was a power that had no limit. Part of her wanted to shut off the ability and stop sensing their power levels. Better blissfully ignorant than immortally terrified. But slowly, she allowed herself to feel for Gohan's power level.

His was almost as high as his fathers.

Vegeta turned to Gohan furiously. "Naze anata wa watashi ni Kakkarot no keii, musuko o shimesazu, korera no hitobito o motte kimashita ka?" _Why have you brought me these people who show no respect, son of Kakkarot?_

In a desperate attempt to appease their king Gohan said, "Karera wa, kotonaru shūkan watashi no ō to i sekai kara no monodesu. Watashi wa anata ga karera ga taizai suru koto o kyoka shita baai, sorera ni tekisetsuna keii o oshietekudasaimasu." _They are from a different world with different customs my king. I'll be sure to teach them the proper respect if you allow them to stay._ Vegeta snarled, and Videl wondered if they'd get any time at all.

If nothing else, Bulma wasn't wrong. From the way he treated the others it was easy to see his ego was definitely secure. Perhaps a little flattery and show of respect would get them on his good side? "Anata no bunka o rikai shite inai tame ni watashitachi o yurushitekudasai," Videl began with to get their attention. _Please excuse us for not understanding your culture._ The king and Gohan both turned back to her once again. She tried to force her squeamish thoughts away. "Watashitachiha minasan no koto o hotondo shirimasen. Watashitachi ni oshiete itadakereba saiwaidesu. Watashitachi no ryokō kara mita mono kara, anata no min wa hontōni subarashīdesu, bejīta-ō." _We know very little about your people, and we would be honoured if you were to teach us. From what we saw from our travels your people are great indeed, king Vegeta._ She added a little bow at the end for good measure. Nervously she spared a look to see if her words had done anything.

Luckily for them, the king was grinning. "Sukunakutomo kodomo-tachi wa sore o miru to chikara o shiru." _At least the children know power when they see it,_ he muttered while Gohan let out a breath of relief. "You say you are travellers?" King Vegeta spoke in English, purposefully gaining the attention of the others. "What are you doing here? Maybe if your story is entertaining enough I won't annihilate you out of spite."

Judging from his power level it could be done. And judging from the snickers and excited looks in the saiyan's eyes, it wasn't a bluff either.

Unfortunately Bulma, who could not read power levels, spoke up first. "Talk about rude! What kind of a king are you? You better watch your mouth or my boyfriend's gonna destroy you!" Yamcha squeaked in fear, but luckily the saiyans looked too confused with the word 'boyfriend' to understand what shehad said.

The King had unfortunately gotten the gist of it. "You dare challenge the King of all saiyans?" his voice boomed through the hall. Some of the saiyans shivered from the power he exuded. Behind her she felt the Ox king put a protective hand on her shoulder and the shoulder of the general. Bulma's eyes widened, starting to realize just how dangerous the man in front of them was. Yamcha moved to stand in front of Bulma, but the women refused to accept his help. Videl couldn't decide if the women was stupid or brave.

"I'm not challenging you!" Bulma yelled back, her voice a bit shaky that time. The king must have notice, for his tension seemed to release a bit. "It couldn't hurt for you to be a bit nicer is all!" Aaand the anger was back.

"Do not anger me human! I wouldn't even need to reach the level of super saiyan to snap your neck." Despite her fear going through her system Videl's eyes widened. Super Saiyan? As in, the one of legend? Her surprise must have been written on her face because Vegeta caught her expression. "Read up on Super Saiyans have you? Yes, I and a number of others have reached the legendary super saiyan level that was lost to us for centuries. My own father tried to get to super saiyan, but fought without adjusting to it. The mistake caused the chi in his body to explode, ending his life." Videl's eyes widened at the explanation. No, more than that. She couldn't believe the careless way the king tossed around the story of his father's death. There wasn't a trace of sadness or regret in his eyes. She may have let it go if he'd at least told the story like it was a fact. But when he explained, there was humor in his tone. It wasn't that he didn't care. No, it was worse than that.

The death of his father amused him.

Videl had thought she would be prepared when she read about the brutality and ruthlessness of the saiyans that she read about. She hadn't realized the extent of it. Suddenly she became extremely aware of the number of saiyans that surrounded her. Against the large, bulky saiyans that stood guard, Videl wasn't sure their rag-tag team would stand a chance. They had fighters sure, but could they really compete with a warrior race?

Without thinking, her eyes flickered over to Gohan. She wasn't sure why she felt comfort picking him out from the crowd. He was a saiyan, like the rest. But he was different, she could tell. Maybe it was because he was half human, but if she had to pick one she'd choose him out of the saiyans to trust.

She prayed her trust was well founded.

"Is that supposed to impress me?" All eyes returned to Bulma who stood confidently in the front. Some of the saiyans visibly gaped at her while for the first time since meeting her, Videl actually considered calling her an idiot. "I don't care about whatever this 'super sayain' thing is. We came a long way and lost a whole lot to get here, and you aren't gonna send us away!"

Vegeta snarled, striking fear even into his subjects. "You foolish women. What position do you think you are to be making demands? Do you want to be killed?" The others all shot up in fear. Things were definitely not going their way. _I thought being an heiress meant she did business deals! She should be good at this kind of thing!_ Sure Bulma seemed like the kind of person who wouldn't back down, but it was getting ridiculous.

Bulma's snarl was just as fierce as the kings. "You're welcome to try," she grumbled, reaching for the blaster on her belt. If it wasn't for Yamcha reaching out and grabbing Bulma by the hand there would have been a few more dead bodies in the room.

The general hurried to the front before Bulma could object. "King Vegeta, we are explorers from the human world. We simply would like to stay here for some time and come to examine the culture and resources that this land has. If you have any rules for us then we will agree. I'm sure there are many things that we can tell you in exchange for your mercy." Vegeta barely registered that he'd heard him, eyes trained on Bulma who was hissing at her boyfriend while he tried to calm her down. Despite his annoyance with her he'd come to see her as the leader for some reason and the general just didn't match up. _Right!_ Videl thought. He'd respected Videl because she knew his language. Bulma may have been driving him insane, but her attitude matched his. If he saw himself as a great leader it was only natural he would see that as a good attribute for other leaders. That had to count for something in his books, even if he thought it consciously or not. The general on the other hand was acting like a distinctly human leader.

That, or he was just too annoyed with Bulma to pay attention to anything else.

Either way, it was worth a shot. "Bulma please, ask for permission!" she half whispered, half commanded at her. A few of the saiyans turned to Videl, and she realized whispering was useless. Gohan had been a prime example of their advanced hearing abilities.

Yamcha on the other hand turned to her in shock. "What? He'll kill her if she speaks again!" he chastised her. A few snickers rang through the crowd, all of them pointedly ignoring what the general was trying to say. Videl could practically see the king's veins pulsing with anger. She spotted Gohan staring at her hopefully, urging her to continue silently.

She may not have been much of a public speaker, but should could at least prove that she knew some of the culture, or at least show they were willing to learn. "He's not going to listen to the general! He acts to human!" Yamcha looked flabbergasted, as if he thought Videl was really just trying to get Bulma killed. The look in Bulma's eyes said she didn't understand either, but she had no problem with trying to get control again.

"Look Mr. King Sir," Bulma's words dripped with sarcasm when she yanked her arm away from a panicked Yamcha. "We came a really long way to learn about the culture of the saiyans and see if there was anything we could use. We didn't know that there was anyone down here but maybe, since there is, we can help each other. All we ask is for a place to stay for a while, maybe food or other necessities depending on how long we stay and your cooperation." Vegeta raised an eyebrow, skeptical of the idea that they could do anything remotely interesting for them. Regardless, Videl noticed he didn't object.

"…You say you are human's from the surface?" King Vegeta changed the subject, though no one objected. At least he wasn't angry anymore. "How did you hear about this land?"

"The book." Bulma waved towards Videl and the Ox king in turn. "Chi-Chi, ox king's daughter, wrote the book on saiyans. Videl here found it and translated it so we were able to get down here. Lost a lot of people on the way," Bulma added to try and get his attention, but the King barely flinched. Instead his eyes narrowed with recognition at the mention of Chi-Chi. The king must have known about Chi-Chi, if Goku was really so powerful and she was the only human.

"Kakkarot!" His voice boomed through the room, capturing the attention of the guards already standing at attention. Goku on the other hand gave a carefree smile and nodded in the king's direction. "Is this book that your mate wrote the one you reported to have left with the humans?"

Goku scratched his head thoughtfully, eyes trained on the ceiling as he tried to remember. "Yeah, I think so. Chi-Chi left the book in some village before we came down here." he shrugged nonchalantly. "I know I was supposed to leave it with more people, but I forgot all about that!" Vegeta snarled at his carelessness, but didn't argue. Videl doubted he'd want to, considering the man's power level. How could someone so careless possibly be so strong?

At least that explained how her mother had gotten it instead of an actual scientist. She'd always wondered why her mother happened to find it if it was so important.

A question Videl had for years but never put too much thought in came back to mind. Why would the saiyans want the humans to know about them?

For a moment Vegeta remained silent, considering his options. Videl would be lying if she didn't admit she was worried when he took longer than she'd expected to consider what they asked. Truth was she doubted there really was much that they could give the saiyans. They were interested in fighting more than anything, while human culture shunned it in everyday life. Maybe the capsules would interest them. She just hoped their warriors would be able to think of something to impress them. "You." Vegeta pointed to Bulma once again. "Woman."

"Woman?" Bulma shrieked making a few of the saiyans cover their ears. "My name's Bulma, and don't you forget it!"

Vegeta continued as if she hadn't said a word. "The humans are allowed to stay as long as they do not cause me any problems. Keep them under guard at all times, and let the villagers do as they please." With a smirk towards them he added, "Let's see how long they last." Videl's blood ran cold under the taunting gazes of the saiyans around them. Bulma again either remained oblivious or ignored the threat as she smiled proudly. Videl caught Gohan sigh in relief.

"As you command King Vegeta." He bowed once again before turning to their group. Videl spotted the slight sign of hope in his eyes when he scanned them with curiosity. "I'll lead you back to your people. There's a set of land in the northern edge of the city that you can stay. Hopefully," He added with little confidence, "Raditz has brought your men their already." Videl smiled at him gratefully. Perhaps it was just her imagination, but she thought she saw him smile back.

"Great!" Bulma cheered as she fist-pounded the air. "Thanks so much King Vegeta. Looking forward to working with you!" The King snarled at her again and the others decided they had to leave before she said something else.

"Kakkarot, get your brat and the humans out of here now." Goku grinned and waved to the king while Gohan bowed once again. Vegeta turned away from their group as an obvious dismissal.

Before Bulma could get angry Goku slipped next to her with a smile on his face. "Come on! Vegeta's going to explode if you don't get out of here soon, and you don't want to be caught in the crossfire." The king snarled once again while Gohan went slightly pale.

"You ought to watch your tongue when speaking about your king Kakkarot," The king warned.

Goku showed no sign of catching the warning. "If I did whatever you wanted then you wouldn't have a good training buddy anymore." A few of the saiyans jumped at Goku's insubordination, but luckily the king seemed to see the logic behind his words. Goku led the way out of the room, talking to Bulma cheerfully as he went. "He's a really stubborn guy, but trust me. He's not that bad when you get to know him. He's got a good side to him, trust me."

"Yeah, buried way down in there maybe," Bulma muttered under her breath. Gohan glanced at the king nervously, the only one in their group who seemed to show any sign of fear towards the king. He didn't respond however, keeping his eyes on them as they left. The last thing Videl saw as the door closed behind them was the man's piercing onyx eyes trained on Bulma as she disappeared from their sight.

When the humans were gone, everyone immediately got back to work. A few of them started whispering in curiosity to the newcomers, but most of them knew to keep silent until they were out of earshot of the king. To his right the soldier Nappa walked up to the king, the only one brave enough to speak to the king about his decisions. Or, as the other saiyans saw it, foolish enough. "Quite the loud one that women was," he started, trying to ease the mood.

"Hmmf." King Vegeta crossed his arms, refusing to speak about the matter. Nappa knew better than to push the subject.

"King Vegeta, why would you let them stay?"

"Because Nappa," Vegeta cut him off in a flash. "While they may be weaklings, obviously they may have information that could be useful to us. Use your head for once!" Nappa bowed respectfully, keeping his head lowered until his king released him. The king did no such thing however, turning to contemplate his thoughts alone. He'd never thought that his father's plan of giving the outsiders information of their culture would pay off in any significant way. When he'd learned about the mission Kakkarot had been sent on it had been only after he'd brought the human with him. Even then he hadn't been interested, only allowing the info that the first super saiyan's mate was a human return to him when others asked Kakkarot for permission to experiment or examine the women. Or when the banshee came down on Kakkarot whenever he was being too careless. At least someone was able to control him.

At least his father's plan may not have been a total loss. Since the humans had arrived, he may as well have used that to his advantage.

* * *

"At least it could have been worse," Videl sighed with relief. The Ox king gave a weak smile at her side while Yamcha refused to respond. Anyone who paid attention could tell he was taking the side of the general about Bulma's behaviour.

When the group had been brought back to their friends, Bulma had immediately told them what happened. Some were relieved they'd get to stay, others were disappointed, nervous about the idea of living next to saiyans. No one had signed up for a trip with live subjects. Bulma had ignored it, instantly assigning jobs and making sure everyone took part in setting up their cite. Videl, the Ox King, Yamcha, Launch, Krillian and Tien were invited into the first house released from a capsule to discuss their future plans. Unfortunately the group pointedly ignored Bulma and the general arguing over exactly what had happened back with the king.

"I'm still the one in charge of this expedition General! Seeing that we got what we wanted, I'd say my means were effective!"

"You nearly got us all sent away and encouraged the king to kill you while doing it!" The general shouted back. "Obviously you weren't prepared for negotiations when you decided to come down here Miss Briefs!"

"Of course I wasn't!" Bulma fought back angrily. "We didn't think anyone was alive! None of us thought any saiyans were still down here!" She waved towards the guests surrounding the table, but all of them took special care not to make eye contact.

"You are right. No one thought that we'd have to deal with a living warrior race when we came down here." The general stood straight, eyes glazing over as he considered their options. "Obviously you are not fit to be leading what has become a military expedition. Considering the fact that the saiyans are alive I'm asking for permission to take command of this expedition-"

"Permission denied!" Bulma growled, snapping the general back to attention. "This is still my scientific expedition, and nothing has changed that. Maybe we can take away the archeology part of it but our main objective is still to explore and learn. They aren't fighting and we aren't battling them so this is in no way a military mission. Besides, you saw the king. He was paying attention to me, not you!" The General's jaw twitched, but he was able to maintain his composure. Most likely after years of military training Videl decided. "We lost a lot of people getting here General," Bulma reminded him, bringing them back to the important matter. "Lots of people died for us to get here. If that King thinks he can push us around after all that,"

"It's because of the people we lost that we have to be careful!" The general shouted back, startling her into silence. "It's because of our sacrifices that you can't be so reckless with your words! This is not a journey around the world where you can do whatever you want searching for some dragon balls Miss Briefs. This is a large operation with many people on the line. It's not just you anymore, so take care to remember that!" Bulma was frozen momentarily, surprised at his outburst. She couldn't think of a reply fast enough as the general turned to the table. "I will be setting up guards to stand around the cite 24 hours a day. Tien, Launch, come with me." The two jumped to their feet and followed the general out of the room. As their footsteps dissipated the silence that remained was deafening.

However, it didn't last long. "Take care to remember that?" Bulma snarled, sending a chill over the room. It looked as if she had fangs when she ground her teeth together in anger. "Of course I remember that! How dare he assume I didn't? I'm the one who started this whole thing! Who does he think he is?"

"The man in charge of our safety," Yamcha muttered hoping Bulma wouldn't hear him, but she caught his words.

"So? Does that mean he can push me around? I don't think so!"

"He's just trying to make sure you are safe to! That King could have snapped your neck if he wanted to! If you could sense power levels you'd know that!" Yamcha sighed, his energy dying when he noticed Bulma's lack on interest. "Bulma please. At least try and be careful?"

But Bulma crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Why should I have to be careful? I was just being a leader! I didn't see any of you doing anything! If you're going to take the generals side more than mine why don't you just date him?" Yamcha threw his arms up in the air in defeat when Bulma yanked out a chair and took her seat at the head of the table. "Look, we got what we wanted and more. All I'm asking is that we let it go." Yamcha's scowl said that when the two of them were alone he certainly wasn't going to let it go. The others however were happy to let him do as he liked- as long as they didn't have to be there when it was discussed.

"You were….a little reckless…" Videl replied carefully, trying to take the subject on with a lighter note. "…But I thought you were pretty brave in there Bulma. You to Yamcha," She added, more to be nice than actual honesty. She easily bought into the flattery, leaning back in her chair like she heard compliments like that every day.

"Yeah, my boyfriend's cool."

Yamcha brightened. "Hey thanks Bulma,"

"But he's not as cool as me."

Yamcha's smile fell. "…Thanks Bulma."

"Anytime!" Her grin was just a little too wide.

"You kind of lost control a bit there though," Videl added regretfully. "That was kind of stupid talking to the king like that."

Bulma glowered at the table again. "I know, but that guy got on my nerves!" She huffed. "I hate people like that, so arrogant and stubborn! Really, who does that?" The others all stared at her.

 _Way to be the pot calling the kettle black Bulma._

* * *

Launch walked behind the general as Tien called the military officers to attention. The general easily maintained his collected composure but Launch could see his jaw twitching from anger. Anyone could see that while Bulma was brilliant in her field she was not made for military. She had a strong spirit, but she'd never be much of a soldier.

Launch on the other hand had other things to debate. Many of the crew were excited about the idea of saiyans there to learn from, people to actually talk to about their culture. Others, the vast majority for the moment, were frightened by the large, terrifying people that even had children who looked at them like they would make a tasty dish. Neither of those things were really on Launch's mind as she followed the general. To her, it was insignificant.

"General, there are people here."

"I know," was the only response to her words. She stared up at him, expecting some kind of acknowledgment to the dilemma that put them in.

"Sir, this changes everything,"

"This changes nothing." The general snapped, flicking his eyes over to her again. "We'll continue as planned, understand?" The dark haired version of her whimpered at the idea. She at least wanted to discuss it, maybe debate if their original objective should be reconsidered.

The blond haired Launch couldn't care less. "Whatever you say boss."

 **Hi everyone! Sorry I haven't written in a while! Hope this chapter was worth the wait!**


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